Rallying to Save a Twice-Burned Woodlawn Landmark

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Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign Priest in 2014. [Eric Allix Rogers/Chicago Patterns]

Shrine of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, 2014. [Eric Allix Rogers/Chicago Patterns]

The smell of smoke was heavy on the air for miles around on the morning of October 7, 2015. Neighbors awoke to the news that the Shrine of Christ the King, 6401 S. Woodlawn Ave., had suffered a devastating fire – the second in the history of the building. When the hoses were packed up, the walls were still standing, but this pillar of the Woodlawn community faced an uncertain future. Members and neighbors are now fighting for its future. Learn why the building is worth saving, and what you can do to help.

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Washington Park National Bank Building

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John Morris/Chicago Patterns

John Morris/Chicago Patterns

At 63rd and Cottage Grove


Spray Paint, Not Bullets

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John Morris/Chicago Patterns

John Morris/Chicago Patterns

Garfield Boulevard, near Prairie.


The Wilbur and the 1879 “Philadelphia Plan” Street Renumbering

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John Morris/Chicago Patterns

John Morris/Chicago Patterns

A few months ago columnist Gabriel X. Michael surveyed West Side houses with inscribed numbers that didn’t align with the current address. This was the result of the 1909 adoption of Edward Brennan’s plan which standardized addresses across Chicago.

Though this change affected most of the city, there was a large swath that escaped the 1909 change, including the house above.

A pre-1909 inscription on the entryway with an accurate address was quite curious.

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