ISSUE No 9

VOICE SUMMER20 10

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

HIStorIc PrESErvAtIoN tHE orIgINAl grEEN

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logAN SquArE lANDmArk to

bEcomE ArtS cENtErPage 8

rEAD tHE lAtESt PrESErvAtIoN

StAtuS rEPort Page 6

The Journal of Preservation Chicago

A SECOND LIFE FOR A GRAND OLD DAMEThe prognosis looks good for the grand old dame of Harrison Street. On March 2, 2010, The Construction Committee of the Cook County Board voted 6-0 to approve the adaptive reuse of the historic Cook County Hospital Building. This action most likely ends a decade-long battle to preserve the former hospital. The full county board affirmed the recommendation in a 17-0 vote in a session that immediately followed the committee meeting.

Begun in 1913 and designed by architect Paul Gerhardt (who also designed Lane Tech High School on the North Side), the structure will be converted to administrative offices for the Cook County Health and Hospitals System. Estimated cost of the adaptive reuse is $108,000,000 and is to be partially funded through Tax Increment Financing (TIF) dollars. Preservation Chicago kicked off its preservation effort at an April 2003 press conference, which featured author Studs Terkel. A massive grass roots

public awareness and advocacy campaign began that spring and continued through 2004, culmi-nating in Preservation Chicago collecting over 13,000 petition signatures in favor of preservation, which were then delivered to then-county board president John Stroger. Progressive county com-missioners Larry Suffredin and Mike Quigley, who backed preservation efforts, were able to sway a majority of commissioners to forestall demolition long enough for a reuse proposal to be presented. Landmarks Illinois, the statewide preservation advocacy group, produced a superb reuse study, provided pro-bono by one of its board members, architect Joe Antunovich. Once the county board was able to envision what a renovated Cook County Hospital would look like and what benefits it would provide, the argument for historic preservation became a viable alternative to demolition.

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Old Cook County Hospital at 1825 W. Harrison St. Photo Credit: Chicago History Museum

Time flies. It has been seven years since I became an active member of Preservation Chicago. Since that time, we have effectively advocated for the re-use and preservation of buildings and neighborhoods throughout the City. With our advocacy work, several irreplaceable historic buildings have been granted landmark status. Most importantly, Preservation Chicago has grown into a well-respected voice for those Chicagoans who do not want our rich architectural history to be lost.

Later this summer, my family will be relocating to Minnesota. It is a bittersweet transition and I move on knowing that Preservation Chicago remains a strong and vital resource for Chicagoans. Jonathan Fine remains in his role as Executive Director and passionate advocate for preservation. Stacey Pfingsten continues as our fiery Communications Manager. Together they are the hardest-working part-time staff around! Guided by a fervent, diverse and skilled Board of Directors, Preservation Chicago will continue to advocate for Chicago’s irreplaceable architecture and distinctive neighborhoods for years to come. With much work still to do, I am confident that Preservation Chicago will continue fighting the “good fight!”

Bill NeuendorfPresident, Preservation Chicago

PRESERVATION CHICAGO

Board of DirectorsBill Neuendorf President

Jack Spicer Vice President

Greg Brewer Treasurer

Debbie Dodge Secretary

Nicholas Bianchi Board

Carla Bruni Board

Jeremi Bryant Board

Sandy Gartler Board

Pam Jameson Board

Kristy Menas Board

Craig Norris Board

Scott Rappe Board

Andy Schcolnick Board

StaffJonathan Fine

Executive Director

Stacey Pfingsten

Communications Manager

Contact us:4410 N. Ravenswood AvenueChicago, IL 60640www.preservationchicago.orgph: 773.334.8800fax: 773.334.8803email: info@preservationchicago.org

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Jonathan FineSENIOR EDITOR: Laura Stigler-MarierGRAPHIC DESIGNER: Sandy GartlerCOMMUNICATIONS MGR.: Stacey Pfingsten

PHOTO CREDITS:Cover: Hedrich Blessing Photo, courtesy of Chicago History Museum ArchivesPage 3: Carla BruniPage 4: Ron GordonPage 5: Doug FogelsonPage 6: Jonathan Fine, Vivian Jackson, Jack SpicerPage 7: Ecoseed.orgPage 8: Brinshore Development

© 2010 PRESERVATION CHICAGOAll rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is strictly prohibited. Preservation Chicago is a not-for-profit organization registered as a 501c3.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT A Presidential Transition

VOICE

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Ci t izens advocat ing for the preservat ion of Chicago’s h istor ic archi tecture

As the economy slowly climbs its way out of this Great Recession, preservationists continue to be confronted with a grim reality. Bank foreclosures and property abandonment have created a glut of vacant historic properties. Add in the existing inventory of hard-to-adapt buildings, like houses of worship and movie palaces, and what becomes apparent is that Chicago has a full-blown abandoned building crisis.

However, a viable solution exists and it’s called mothballing. For centuries, Europeans have continually renovated, re-purposed and re-imagined their cities. Unlike in America, demolition is very seldom considered as a first option, and is rarely even considered at all. While it is true that there is a tremendous economic disincentive to demolish and rebuild in Europe, what is more significant is that Europeans have a greater understanding of the value and importance of preserving their entire historic environments.

To that end, the mothballing of buildings, sometimes for decades, until a new use can be implemented is the norm in Europe. And unlike in the States, their mothballing efforts are designed for the long-term. Window and door openings are sealed with masonry, rather than plywood. Buildings are monitored and simply maintained so they do not become overgrown graffiti-covered eyesores.

This also presents an economic opportunity until the economy improves. If we followed the European model, local jobs could be created in the masonry and roofing industries and services such as private security, graffiti removal and landscaping would also benefit.

While public funding may be necessary, public monies are already being spent on existing derelict and abandoned buildings. Perhaps those same resources could be better used by properly mothballing our historic buildings so when the economy does come back, these structures will be ready to be returned to a useful life in their community.

Jonathan FineExecutive Director, Preservation Chicago

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Mothballing should be a part of the preservation agenda

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Imagine this: an existing 1920s bungalow with all original windows, moldings, floors, and plaster. All of these elements have been beautifully restored including the windows, which have been weather-stripped and fitted with custom storm windows. This not only maintains the original historic window profile but also doubles their energy efficiency.

In addition, insulation has been pumped into the existing wall cavities, preserving the original plaster, and all gaps where air once infiltrated the building have been sealed. A high efficiencyboiler has replaced an older model, and a tank-less water heater saves both water and energy consumption. New appliances are Energy Star-rated, native and urban-tolerant plantings, along with some pervious pavers, replace the turf lawn, and a rain barrel is used to water plants. As a result, almost all of the building materials have been reused, utility bills have plummeted, water has been conserved, and the historic character of the home has been enhanced, not diminished.

Pretty darned green, huh? Not according to most rating systems. In fact, most systems would encourage, if not require, that a home be stripped down to its studs, or better yet, demolished and completely rebuilt to be a truly green building.

There are currently more than 25 “green” building codes, rating systems, and guidelines and almost all focus on new construction, which is evident in how points are awarded in these projects. The more points, the higher the ranking, the more “green.”

To most committed conservationists, an environmental rating system that encourages the dumping of so much material into landfills seems counter-intuitive. Current laws in Chicago would not even require any of the materials to be salvaged in the case of the bungalow mentioned because there are fewer than four units in the building, so they likely won’t be.

The chief problem is that rating systems don’t put as much weight on materials. The bulk of the points tends to focus on energy efficiency. It only stands to reason that a tremen-dous amount of energy would have to be used to 1) Demol-ish a structure, even partially, 2) Manufacture a tremendous amount of new materials, then ship them from all over the world (bamboo, for example, is always shipped from China), and 3) Rebuild an entirely new structure. Think of how long it would take a so-called “Zero Energy Home” to offset all of the carbon-intensive energy that was used to create it, especially if it replaced an existing structure that was demolished.

Another major problem with “green” rating systems like LEED is that they reward replacing over repairing. For example, if a homeowner repairs and restores every part of his 1880s farm-house, he gets little to no credit from most existing rating systems. Typically, green rating systems just give a one-time overall credit for reusing a certain percentage of the build-ing, which is typically very few points and does not take into account all of the individual elements of a home that have been saved. However, if a homeowner dismantles his home, sells the materials as salvage, then buys them back and rebuilds with them, he can get points for showing that he purchased reclaimed materials. This seemingly contradictory action is justified because it has become easier to simply track, something like the purchase of salvaged or new energy-rated windows.

The challenge for preservationists becomes how to reward a homeowner who chooses to restore rather than replace. What if there are no receipts to be shown because the work was done by the homeowner? How can this be monitored and audited? How can rating systems, well, rate without standardized measures to lean on? How can we reward the work done that has made historic homes more environmentally friendly?

Last August, a New York Times article revealed that many buildings boasting the nation’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) label were not performing nearly as well as had been originally predicted by the U.S. Green Build-ing Council. LEED is “a third-party certification program, and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construc-tion and operation of high-performance green buildings.” What the New York Times revealed was important because the LEED label allows building owners to gain tax credits, charge pre-mium rents, and promote their achievements in architectural periodicals throughout the industry.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION: THE ORIGINAL GREEN

Continued on page 7

Historic Bungalow on Chicago’s South Side Photo Credit: Carla Bruni

THE ARCHITECTURE: GREAT FACE, GREAT BONES

Cook County Hospital is one of Chicago’s most prominent buildings and was intended to look like a civic edifice rather than a mere hospital. Its façades are composed in a Classical Revival style with French Renaissance features, executed with dramatic detail. The image of this photogenic building is famous nationwide and was featured in films like “The Fugitive” and was the inspiration for such television shows as “St. Elsewhere” and “ER.” The hospital was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

The edifice is two blocks long, has eight floors and initially had two pavilions projecting from the rear. The first floor held an admitting area, a pharmacy, a waiting room, and admin-istrative offices. Floors two through seven housed massive open wards, each holding as many as sixty patients. Each ward had a unique specialty (Obstetrics, Surgery, Ear, Nose and Throat, Medicine, Venereal Disease, Fractures, Pediatrics) and each was segregated by gender. Operating rooms and two amphitheaters took up the entire eighth floor. In 1917, two additional pavilions were added to the main building, giving the hospital a total bed capacity of 2000. The four projecting pavilions have been demolished.

ITS HISTORY WILL NOW REMAIN ALIVE AND WELL

The institution known as Cook County Hospital has provided health care to Chicago’s indigent since 1866. Its mission has always been to provide quality health care with respect and dignity for the residents of Cook County, regardless of their ability to pay. The first County Hospital opened in 1866 on the corner of Eighteenth and Arnold Streets. It was run by the Cook County Board of Commissioners and had an affiliation with Rush Medical College. Contagious diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera, gonorrhea, and typhus were common, as were

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lethal infections after surgery and delivery. The germ theory of disease was first discussed here in 1877, and antiseptic technique was introduced at County in 1878. The hospital remained at this location for ten years.

At the urging of doctors, who considered the old building too small to handle the growing indigent population, a new Cook County Hospital (#2) was built on the west side in 1876 between Polk, Harrison, Wood and Wolcott Streets. In addition to 13 patient wards, it had an amphitheater that could seat 600 students. In 1888, the hospital had 750 beds and the average daily cost per patient was $1.00.

Overcrowding continued to be a problem in the hospital. To that end, the current building, located at 1825 W. Harrison Street, opened in 1916. Patients in the early part of the century were primarily immigrants of Russian, Irish, Polish and Austrian descent. With the influx of African-Americans to the city from the rural south in the late 1920s, the racial makeup of the patient population gradually changed. By the end of World War II, African-American patients would predominate. Even those with insurance sought care at the County, as many were turned away from private hospitals as late as the 1960s due to their race.

During the Depression, severe overcrowding and shortages of supplies continued to be a problem, especially since many newly indigent Chicagoans sought care there. Many doctors purchased supplies such as suture material with their own money. In the mid-thirties, the WPA (Works Progress Administration) sponsored a renovation of the hospital. Professional artists painted murals in the lobby of the main building and the pediatrics hospital.

ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S FINEST TEACHING HOSPITALS

More than 10,000 doctors have practiced at County Hospital since it first opened. Despite the rigorous and exhausting working environment, a medical internship at Cook County Hospital was much sought and considered a prize. It was affiliated with several local medical schools and was con-sidered one of the finest, and most challenging, teaching hospitals in the country. A large number of County-trained physicians were pioneers in their field, developed new techniques, surgical procedures, and treatments, and went on to become famous.

For half a century, Dr. Karl Meyer, a surgeon who had an apartment in the hospital, was the Medical Director. Under his direction, the hospital became a leading teaching institution. At a time when it was difficult for African-Americans to secure placement in medical schools because of institutional racism, Cook County Hospital was one of the few institutions

Cook County Hospital ornate detail Photo Credit: Ron Gordon

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COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL HIGHLIGHTS

in the country to offer open admission to minorities seeking a quality medical education. It became difficult to recruit doctors in the 1950s because there was an acute shortage of nurses, and interns had no choice but to provide nursing care as well. It was also difficult recruiting interns in the late 1960s and early 1970s, after several attending physicians left due to disputes with the administration over management of the hospital.

Since 1880, the hospital has also had an independent nursing school affiliated with it. For fifty years, the Illinois Training School for Nurses trained nurses to work in the hospital. Many of its graduates went on to open nursing schools in other cities. In 1929, Cook County School of Nursing was formed. The prestigious school had a stellar reputation and “County grads,” recognized by their unique organza caps, were accorded recognition and respect nationwide.

In 1980, as the trend in nursing education favored 4-year baccalaureate programs, CCSN’s three-year diploma school closed.

In the early 1990s, the County Board approved construction of a new hospital and in 2002 a $250 million new hospital named for sitting county board president John H. Stroger was completed. Funds were then earmarked for the demolition of the old main building. It is then that the preservation community sprung into action.

The efforts of Preservation Chicago and other like-minded preservation organizations helped to change the tide of public opinion against demolition and in favor of historic preservation. The lesson learned from this effort is that effective historic preservation can only prevail when preservationists build strategic partnerships with all stakeholders and then work in concert to achieve an economically viable preservation solution.

– Jonathan Fine and Carol Leutchen

1913 —73% of the patients served were immigrants leading it to be coined “The Ellis Island of Chicago.”

1918 — Dr. John W. Nuzum developed a vaccine to combat the severe influenza epidemic which killed millions of people around the world.

1920s — regarded as one of the world’s great teaching hospitals.

1937— The first Blood Bank opened at CCH and was run by Dr. Bernard Fantus.

1953 — The Midwest’s first cobalt beam therapy unit opens.

1955— A new central diagnostic x-ray department opened with the world’s first radiographic rooms designed for highly technical examinations.

1966— Nation’s first Trauma Unit opens at CCH.

1983— Chicago’s first HIV/AIDS Clinic started at CCH.

Cook County was the home of many “firsts,” including the first blood bank. Its champion was named Dr. Bernard Fantus for which a clinic on the hospital campus has been named. Fantus was born on September 1, 1874, in Budapest,

Hungary and received his MD from the University of Illinois in 1899.

In 1937, he established the world’s first blood bank. Although refrigerated whole blood had first been used during WWI, it was Fantus’s experiments that allowed blood to be safely stored for up to ten days. The term “blood bank” was coined by Fantus and, with an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in July 1937, the name and the practice was quickly adopted by other medical institutions. Bernard Fantus passed away April 14,1940.

Dr. Bernard Fantus Father of the Blood Bank

Studs Terkel - Preservation Chicago Press Conference, April 16, 2003 Photo Credit: Doug Fogelson

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LOST

SAFE

PRESERVATION STATUS REPORT

ST. LAURENCE CHURCHAddress: 72nd and Dorchester Date: 1911 Architect: Joseph MolitorStyle: Romanesque Revival Uncertain: Church, rectory, parish house to be demolished for an assisted living center.

DOCTOR’S HOSPITALAddress: 5800 S. Stony Island AvenueDate: 1914 Architect: Schmidt, Garden & MartinStyle: Colonial RevivalUncertain: University of Chicago to redevelop site for Lab School expansion.

OLD POST OFFICEAddress: 433 W. Van BurenDate: 1932 Architect: Grahm, Anderson, Post & White Style: Classical with Art Deco detail Uncertain: Purchased at auction; owner has yet to produce a redevelopment plan.

BLACKSTONE LIBRARYAddress: 4900-4916 S. Lake Park AvenueDate: 1902 Architect: Solon S. Beman Style: Classical Style with Classical details Safe: Preliminary Landmark, February 2010.

UNION PARK HOTEL Address: 1519 W. Warren Boulevard Date: 1929 Architect: Benjamin Albert Comm Style: Victorian Safe: Preliminary landmark, September 2009.

UNCERTAIN

1414 N. MOHAWK Date: 1883Architect: Unknown Style: ItalianateLost: Demolished for new construction.

5950 N. SHERIDAN ROAD Architect: Unknown Date: 1906Style: Georgian Revival

Lost: For a vacant lot.

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59TH AND HALSTED*Date: 1890 Architect: Unknown

Style: Queen Anne Lost: For a vacant lot. * Chicago 7 nominee, 2005

RIVIERA MOTOR SALES BUILDINGAddress: 5948-60 N. BroadwayDate: 1925-26 Architect: UnknownStyle: Venetian Gothic Safe: Preliminary Landmark, June 2010.

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JOIN OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP (fill out the form below and mail to Preservation Chicago at 4410 N. Ravenswood Avenue, Chicago, IL 60640or go online at http://www.preservationchicago.org/membership.html)

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Once the data was released, some experts were recommending that LEED certification be withheld until a building proves itself to be energy efficient, and that energy consumption data from every rated building should be made available to the public. This was a big break for preservation advocates who had concerns from the get-go with many of these new “green” construction projects. Their mantra that the greenest building is the building that already exists was finally being proven correct.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is aware of these complaints and is heeding the advice of building ex-perts. They, too, are concerned about the “logic” of currentgreen rating systems and have addressed the issue of performance and how to rate existing buildings at the USGBC conference in May. The session focused on outcome-based energy codes.

Liz Dunne, Consulting Director of the National Trust’s Preservation Green Lab, summed up what outcome-based energy codes are about:

The NTHP’s Preservation Green Lab (PGL) is working with the City of Seattle on a new energy code framework that will be based on actual energy performance outcomes, rather than prescriptive measures, for retrofitting existing buildings. Existing energy codes typically rely on prescriptive measures (for example, requiring projects to use windows with a cer-tain “U” value) rather than targeting certain performance out-comes (such as improving overall energy performance by a certain percentage.)

PGL is currently calling for case studies on older buildings that have undergone energy efficient retrofits (that don’t need to be historic) to collect more real data. This data will

be valuable as more stimulus money is pumped into home energy improvements, which is well-intentioned but not always the most effective way to use the funding.

The bottom line is that owners of historic homes can greatly reduce air infiltration and lower their energy bills without spending a whole lot of money on “green bling” items like solar panels and geothermal heating and cooling systems. In fact, any existing building should focus first and fore-most on air sealing and insulation, which do not have to be especially invasive and can produce huge results. After that, a high-efficiency water heater and furnace or boiler can reduce energy consumption even more. These are simple things that do not have to tear apart a home, provided you have a knowledgeable contractor. Unfortunately, the hundreds of marketing fliers in your mailbox will tell you differently.

Maybe, just maybe, it’s a better idea to preserve and repair a beautiful historic home that is already made of superior, sustainable materials, keeps waste from piling up, keeps trans-portation emissions down, does not require cranes and trucks and other machinery to rebuild it, and has greatly reduced its

energy consumption.

– Carla Bruni

Continued from page 3

Solar panels installed on an historic roof

PRESERVATION CHICAGO4410 N. Ravenswood AvenueChicago, IL 60640

NONPROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 1376

A historic west side landmark, which has been virtually vacant for more than 20 years, will be reborn as the Hairpin Lofts and Logan Square Community Arts Center.

The building is located at the 6 corner intersection of Milwaukee, Kimball and Diversey and was built in 1930 as a commercial structure. It was designed by architects Leichenko and Esser for Sol Goldberg, who founded the Hump Hair Pin Manufacturing Company. Camel motifs in the Art Deco style embellish the span-drel panels between the windows and the camel insig-nia is a version of the logo that decorated Hump Hair Pin packages.

In 1947, the department store Morris B. Sachs moved in and stayed through the 1960s. Since then, ground-floor tenants, including Payless Shoe Source, have occupied the building, with the floors above remaining vacant.

At a May 18, 2010, ground-breaking ceremony, the redevelopment team of Brinshore Development and project architects Hartshorne and Plunkard presented their concept for this important neighborhood anchor. Both firms are experienced with the restoration and redevelopment of historic buildings. The project, which was more than four years in the making, will be redeveloped for a mixed use. The ground floor will accommodate four market-rate

retail and commercial units. The secondfloor will contain a new 8,000-square -foot community arts center and the upper four floors will contain 28 residential lofts, 25 of which will be affordable housing. The rehabilitation of the building will also include attainment of a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environ-mental Design) Silver rating. This preserva-tion success can be attributed to the vision and hard work of Brinshore Development, the Chicago Community Development Commission, and 35th Ward Alderman Rey Colon.

But the majority of the credit goes to the residentsof Logan Square and particularly members of Logan Square Preservation, who fought tirelessly to protect the Sachs building by supporting its inclusion in the seven-building historic commerciallandmark district that was created in 2004. The landmark district not only ensures that these historicbuildings will be preserved, but also that historic tax credits are available for exactly the kind of redevel-opment that is currently taking place. When this project is completed next year, historic preservation will once again prove its worth in being a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization.

Photo Credit: Brinshore Development

HISTORIC LOGAN SqUARE LANDMARK TO BECOME NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS CENTER

– Jonathan Fine