ISSUE No 8

VOICE WINTER20 10

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

ELKS FUNDRAISER Page 7

HoLy TRINITyRESToRED

Page 8

READ THE LATEST PRESERVATIoN

STATUS REPoRT Page 6

The Journal of Preservation Chicago

GROPIUS LOSTOn October 22, bulldozers broke through the walls of the defenseless Friend Convalescence Home on the former Michael Reese Hospital campus, destroying the first of at least eight post-WWII structures designed or co-designed by famed architect and Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius.

Chicago’s loss of the 2016 Summer Olympics on October 2nd had given what turned out to be false hope to preservation activists that at least some of the historic buildings on the campus could be saved. With there no longer being a need to redevelop the entire 37-acre parcel into a dense Olympic Village, preservationists advocated for the demolition to be held off long enough for the city to issue Request For Proposals for redevelopment. Since the city owned the land, the RFP could have mandated the preservation of the most architecturally significant and adaptable buildings, as well as the mature historic landscapes.

However, that was not to be the case.

The DeaTh Of an InSTITUTIOn

The Michael Reese Hospital campus, located east of King Drive and spanning from 26th Street to 31st Street, had been a south side institution for more then 100 years. Until it unceremoniously closed the last of its buildings in the summer of 2009, it had been the premiere Jewish medical institution in the city and a pioneer in medical research.

However, in early 2008, it was announced that Michael Reese Hospital would close its doors forever and its land would be sold. At the same time, Chicago was in the midst of preparing its bid to vie for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games and quickly seized the opportunity to assemble what it thought was all of the necessary acreage to house its proposed Olympic Village.

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hedrick Blessing photo of The Kaplan Pavilion Photo Credit: Chicago History Museum Archives

Even though the real estate market has slowed to a trickle this year, the efforts of Preservation Chicago remain desperately in demand.

In these challenging economic times, abandonment and neglect are having ravaging effects on historic buildings that have fallen vacant due to foreclosures. Unable to secure financing, some longtime owners and investment companies are also abandoning buildings, or worse, turning to demolition as a means of lowering their insurance costs and property taxes while they wait for the market to return to normal.

This environment has no doubt had a debilitating effect on neighborhoods throughout the city. And yet, the economic downturn may have actually saved one of our 2008 Most Threatened Buildings. The glorious art deco skyscraper at 2 N. Riverside Plaza, formerly known as the Chicago Daily News Building, is currently undergoing a multi-million dollar restoration. Original plans called for the insertion of a new skyscraper to be built adjacent to the original building. This inappropriate addition would have replaced the existing public plaza, spoiling the graceful design of one of the very first public plazas in the city. To read more about the Daily News Building and the original threat, please visit our web site at www.preservationchicago.org/chicago7/Dailynews.

So yes, the economy has slowed the pace of demolitions. But it’s evident that a new set of challenges are emerging. At Preservation Chicago, we definitely have our work cut out for us. But with the support of our members, volunteers, and the diligence of our Board, we are ready to face those challenges, and win.

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: Hedrick Blessing Photo, courtesy of Chicago History Museum ArchivesPage 3: Grahm Balkany, Gropius CoalitionPage 4: Grahm BalkanyPage 5: David SchalliolPage 6: Jonathan Fine, Bill Neuendorf, Karin Langer Noah Vaughn, Ken DomanPage 7: Debbie Dodge, Chuck BermanPage 8: Leo Harkins

© 2009 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 Bad economy offers no respite

VOICE

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

In 2003, an extraordinary effort ensued to acquire and permanently protect Mies van der Rohe’s seminal “glass box,” the famed Edith Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois.

Described by some as the Pantheon of Modernism, the imminent threat and subsequent rescue of this 1951 masterpiece brought much needed attention to the countless thousands of other endangered mid-century buildings. However, describing this lithe steel and glass house as “historic” was lost on much of the general public. Ironically, most of these so-called “modernist” buildings are now about 60 years old, the same age as many of the Chicago School buildings that preservation activists like Richard Nickel and others were fighting to save in the 1950’s and 60’s.

Preservation Chicago first took up the cause of Mid-century Modern preservation in 2003 when we identified the space-aged Prentice Women’s Hospital, 333 East Superior Street, as one of our 7 Most Threatened Buildings. Designed by Bertrand Goldberg (architect of the iconic Marina City), this 1974 concrete masterpiece is now more than ever threatened with demolition.

Most recently, the publicity building up to the 2016 Olympic bid had focused a spotlight on the only Illinois work of pioneering architect and Bauhaus founder, Walter Gropius. Even though the bid to host the 2016 games was lost, the battle to preserve this unique collection of post-WWII buildings on the former Michael Reese Hospital campus continues to rage, and is the featured story.

Jonathan FineExecutive Director, Preservation Chicago

MeSSaGe fROM The eXeCUTIVe DIReCTOR Preserving Mid-century Modernism

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Using taxpayer funds, the city purchased the entire site for $85 million dollars. However, according to the sales contract, that price rose to $91 million dollars once the city lost the bid to host the games. The former owner, a subsidiary of Medline industries, also provided a cash “donation” to the city of $20 million to facilitate environmental remediation, including asbestos and lead paint removal, and complete demolition of all but two of the 29 buildings on the site.

enTeR GROPIUS

Founded in the early 1870’s with a large donation from wealthy real estate developer Michael Reese, its original purpose was to provide medical services to Jewish families who were not welcome at other city hospitals. However, it soon welcomed all who chose to enter it doors.

Always a pioneer in medical research, the campus expanded to include several research laboratory buildings. In fact, it had the first linear accelerator, which was used for cancer research, and can count the incubator as one of its many inventions.

Following the Second World War, the leadership of Michael Reese faced a defining moment in its history. While there was no doubt that the institution provided a stable community presence amid a rapidly deteriorating neighborhood, a decision had to be made to either flee the city altogether for the suburbs or to stay put and invest in a massive campus expansion that would not only improve Michael Reese as an institution, but would also, hopefully, spur revitalization of the surrounding area.

The decision to hire Walter Gropius to master plan the hospital expansion was both inspired and controversial. The Hospital’s leadership allowed Reginald Isaacs, who was a former student of Gropius and then in charge of campus planning for the institution, to hire Gropius in 1945 as an architectural consultant. Although originally commissioned to work in collaboration with predominantly Jewish-owned Chicago architectural firms, Gropius’s role would expand throughout the next 15 years and his design influence would come to dominate the campus.

During the initial planning process, numerous blighted blocks were earmarked for complete demolition and redevelopment. This idea would eventually come to be called Urban Renewal. However, where other urban renewal efforts that followed Michael Reese were often decried as inhumane, Gropius’s vision was to create not just a hospital campus, but an entire urban environment. His plan created a neighbor-hood, complete with shops, improved housing for nurses and other hospital workers, recreational areas and abundant green space. This was achieved by setting tall and dense apartment towers amid lush landscaped greenswards.

Master Plan by Walter Gropius, 1946

Laundry Building Photo Credit: Grahm Balkany

Singer Pavillion Photo Credit: Grahm Balkany

Continued from page 1

The Prairie Shores development, which sits just west of Michael Reese and was part of Gropius’s original 1945 plan, is still a desirable and well-managed apartment complex today.

GenIUS aS a SILenT PaRTneR

Although it was commonly known that Walter Gropius was responsible for the master plan of the Michael Reese campus expansion, what has only recently come to light is the role he played as a designer or co-designer of several of the buildings. Architectural scholar Grahm Balkany spent the better part of two years researching the role that Gropius played as architect and his research is astounding. Gropius’s hand can be directly credited to at least eight buildings, the first of which was the Laundry Building, completed in 1948. Incredibly sophisticated in its design, it featured clean lines of buff colored brick, a glass curtain wall, and a unique cantilevered switch-backed stair, architectural elements that would later define the modernist vocabulary.

Construction of the Singer Pavilion also began in 1948, and redefined what a hospital building could and should be. Gropius’s interest in how the architecture and siting of a building could actually aid in the recovery of the ill took root at Singer. The pavilion features a southern orientation and the generous use of exterior-mounted sunshades. Patient rooms faced landscaped parks which were meant to sooth and comfort long-term psychiatric patients. This structure won an AIA award in 1951.

In1953, the Power Plant was completed. The building sat astride the IC railroad tracks at the northern end of the campus and was visible from Lake Shore Drive. While it is both an homage of and compliment to Mies van der Rohe’s nearby IIT power plant, Gropius incorporated his own influences including the use of both dark and light colored brick and vertical windows flanking the steel columns.

The Serum Center, at the far south end of the campus, was begun in 1953 and completed in 1956. Bearing many of the same design characteristics of Gropius’s more famous Graduate Student Center at Harvard University, this simple yet elegant work features an elongated limestone cantilevered roof that floats above a seemingly endless array of transom windows.

The friend Convalescence Home was simple in design and residential in scale. Constructed originally for peaceful healing, the generous east-facing windows provided serene views and plenty of natural ventilation. Nestled into a gently sloping hill, Friend provided direct access at the lower level to a landscaped park designed by Hideo Sasaki. Completed in 1957, it is quite possible that Friend may have informed the work of architects Harry Weese and I.M. Pei, whose progressive urban-renewal townhouse project in Hyde Park was completed in 1960.

The centerpiece of Michael Reese Hospital was to be The Kaplan Pavilion, which most closely mirrored Gropius’s early work at the Bauhaus. Completed in 1955, Gropius oriented the patient rooms to the south to capture views of the lake but also views of Pfelzer Park, a design he also conceived. A defining characteristic of the building was its regimented bands of steel windows, which reflected a variation of the Chicago School window. Gropius also employed the use of sunshades, a concept used earlier at Singer.

Continued from page 3

Power Plant Photo Credit: Grahm Balkany

friend Convalescence Photo Credit: Grahm Balkany

Serum Center Photo Credit: Grahm Balkany

Linear accelarator Photo Credit: Grahm Balkany

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Walter Gropius (German, 1883 – 1969)

A leading German architect, designer, and educator, Walter Gropius was one of the most influential figures of Modernism.

He began his architectural studies in Munich in 1903, followed by a period in Berlin from 1905 to 1907. From 1908 to 1910 he worked in Peter Behren’s Berlin studio, where Mies van der Rohe, and later, Le Corbusier were based for a time. He also worked with Adolf Meyer, a partnership that lasted until 1925. An early influential building designed by Gropius and Meyer was the Fagus Factory (1911-14). Its clean lines and standardized elements influenced the form of his model factory building at the 1914 Deutscher Werkbund exhibition in Cologne.

He was appointed as director of the famed Bauhaus School in Weimar in 1919. However, because of considerable political challenges, Gropius resigned in 1928. Following a visit to the USA to study housing, Gropius returned to Germany to establish his own architecture practice.

However, with the rise of Adolph Hitler, the increasing political hostility to Modernist ideas forced Gropius to leave Germany for London in 1934, where he worked with the architect Maxwell Fry.

In 1937, he immigrated to the U.S., becoming the head of the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University until 1952. He also worked with Marcel Breuer from 1937 to 1944, founding a new practice, The Architects Collaborative (TAC), in 1946. It was at this point in his career that he began his work at the Michael Reese Hospital campus, a project that would continue for the next 15 years and would be his only work ever executed in Illinois.

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Who is Walter Gropius? However, the more intricate detailing of the Kaplan Pavilion’s sunshades created shadows of lace-like curtains for each patient’s room.

The last two buildings linked to Gropius were the Cummings Pavilion (1958) and the Linear accelerator Building (1953, 1960, 1967), both of which were research facilities. Cummings was the last known buildings by Gropius to be made of steel and glass and includes an enameled steel façade with tubular steel mullions The Linear Accelerator Building was the first one of its kind at any US hospital and, though modest, expressed an unusual steel envelope.

The BaTTLe TO

PReSeRVe GROPIUS BeGInS

The fight to preserve the Gropius buildings began in earnest in January 2009 when Preservation Chicago listed the “Modern Buildings” on the Reese campus to its 7 Most Threatened Places list. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Balkany publicly released his research confirming Gropius’s connection to the design of eight buildings. His recently formed Gropius in Chicago Coalition soon grew to include scores of supporting organizations, including Preservation Chicago.

The spring and summer of 2009 were spent meeting with officials of the 2016 Olympic Committee, contacting various aldermen and other public officials, appearing and testifying at the dozens of 2016 Olympic hearings held throughout the city, and finally, going directly to city hall to hand deliver a plea to Mayor Daley to stop the demolition.

On December 4, Mr. Balkany finally had the opportunity to present his much-delayed nomination of the Michael Reese Hospital Campus to the state body that determines if a property is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Although demolition had already begun and eight buildings were already lost, including four by Gropius, the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council voted 10-0 to move the nomination forward. They also requested that the federal government conduct an expedited review of the nomination.

ePILOGUe

The vote of the advisory council may have been a pyrrhic victory, but it sent a strong message to Mayor Richard M. Daley, the only person at this point, who has the power to immediately halt the demolition. As this issue of The Voice goes to print, four Gropius buildings remain standing and there is still time to preserve some of his remaining work.

If the mayor does nothing the buildings will be destroyed. If he intervenes, he will be hailed as a preservation hero.

However, if nothing is done, when this sorry chapter of preservation history is ultimately written, the historians will not be kind.

– Jonathan Fine

Cummings Pavillion Photo Credit: David Schalliol

To read more about Walter Gropius please visit the Gropius in Chicago website www.savemrh.com.

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LOST

SAFE

PRESERVATION STATUS REPORT

PICKfORD TheaTeRaddress: 35th and Michigan Avenue Date: 1912 architect: UnknownStyle: Classical Revival Uncertain: De LaSalle Academy wants to demolish for campus expansion.

ST. DOMInICK’S ChURChaddress: 873 N. Sedgwick Date: 1905Style: Spanish RevivalUncertain: Vacant and currently used for storage.

PRenTICe WOMen’S hOSPITaLaddress: 333 E. Superior Street Date: 1975 architect: Bertrand Goldberg Style: Modern Uncertain: Northwestern looking to use the site for new building.

DaILY neWS BUILDInGaddress: 2 N. Riverside PlazaDate: 1929 architect: Holabird and Root Style: Art DecoSafe: A multimillion-dollar renovation has begun.

RIChaRD nICKeL hOUSe address: 1810 W. Cortland Street Date: 1889 architect: Unknown Style: Victorian Safe: Preliminary landmark September 2009.

UNCERTAIN

OGDen eLeMenTaRY SChOOLaddress: 640 N. Dearborn Street Date: 1948architect: John C. Christensen Style: Art ModerneLost: Demolished to make way fornew Ogden school.

ROGeRS PaRK BUILDInGS address: 6572-90 N. Sheridan Road Date: 1920’sStyle: Classical Revival, Prairie style Lost: Demolished by Loyola University for

a vacant lot.

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SISTeRS Of The ReSURReCTIOnaddress: 1800 N. HermitageDate: 1899Style: Romanesque Eclectic Safe: Will be rehabbed for condominiums.

ShOWMan LeaGUe BUILDInG address: 301-303 W. Randolph Date: 1880’s architect: Unknown

Style: Queen Anne Lost: Demolished using TIF funds.

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elks event Photo Credit: Debbie Dodge

eLK’s fUnDRaISeR a nIGhT TO ReMeMBeR!On September 25th, under the domed splendor of the Elk’s National Veterans Memorial, over 300 guests gathered together for Preservation Chicago’s annual fundraiser. Standing sentry at the corner of Lakeview and Diversey since 1926, the imposing War Memorial landmark was the perfect venue to host the celebration that supports the fight for preserving Chicago’s historical architecture.

As the 10-piece Prohibition Orchestra filled the rafters with the swinging sounds of the Big Band era, partygoers got in the mood sipping martinis, sampling the delightful hors d’oeuvres, and taking tours of the magnificent building to learn more about its awe-inspiring history. Adding to the festivities was the silent auction, where guests bid on such coveted items as a Richard Nickel print, Chicago Chocolate Tours gift certificates and a weekend stay at the Palmer House.

Preservation Chicago would like to thank all the guests, donors, volunteers and purveyors who have made the evening at the Elks, in a word, victorious!

In MeMORIaM

1931- 2009

AILEEN CAROLYN MANDEL

Chicago’s architecture community lost a dear friend on June 13 with the passing of Aileen Carolyn Mandel (née Baddock) after a valiant fight against ovarian cancer.

Aileen was a passionate advocate for the preservation of Chicago’s historic buildings and she was a tireless volunteer for the Chicago Architecture Foundation.

In 2008, Aileen was named Docent of the Year by the CAF, a much deserved award in the opinion of those who had the privilege of taking one of her Loop walking tours. Aileen had once been the secretary to architect Walter Netsch.

Ms. Mandel was an early supporter of Preservation Chicago and attended numerous rallies, including a 2002 picket march to save the old Mercantile Exchange Building. The accompanying photograph of her at that rally was published prominently in the Chicago Tribune.

Aileen leaves behind her three children Eric, Mark (Christine) and Ruth. A memorial service was held at Louis Sullivan’s Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University on August 16, 2009. Aileen’s boundless energy and loving spirit will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

Chicago Tribune photo by Chuck Berman

PReSeRVaTIOn ChICaGO4410 N. Ravenswood AvenueChicago, IL 60640

NONPROFITORGANIZATIONU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 1376

Built in 1903 to resemble a folkloric Russianprovincial church, legendary architect Louis Sulivan’s Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral (1121 N. Leavitt St.) was in perfect keeping with the culture of the surrounding Ukrainian Village. In an exciting effort to restore it to its original glowing beauty, The Cathedral is now undergoing massive exterior restoration, with work proposed for the interior, as well as for the neighboring rectory and parish hall, also designed by Sullivan.

To manage the physical aspects of the build-ing, a Building Committee was formed. Its first order of the day: stop all water intrusion. To that end, a new flat roof was installed under the bells in the bell tower, along with new in-laid gutters. Next was the removal and cleaning of the eight stained glass windows around the dome to allow more light to filter through the building. This daunting task was lovingly completed by Associated Crafts of Arizona, who will also be re-storing the remaining windows. Having masterfully worked on the Cultural Center’s Tiffany dome, Anthony Kartsonas of Historic Surfaces was called upon to perform an analysis of the stucco on the dome and body of the Cathedral. As a result, the dome was treated to a new Keim sealant, which will protect it for years to come. Stucco repair work will be done on the body of the church, which will also receive

a fresh coat of paint to match the dome. Colors will be chosen in accordance with both Sullivan’s theory of colors and artists’ rich watercolor renderings of the church.

One of the most recognizable emblems of Holy Trinity is its lacy canopy that crowns the entrance. Years of rusting had made restoration of this sheet-metal canopy a delicate undertaking. Happily, it has been returned to its original pristine gold and brown luster. Much work continues at this magical Sullivan edifice. Future projects include new shingle roofs on the entire cathedral, gold leafing of both cupolas, cornice repair and exterior lighting.

Partners in Preservation has contributed grant money, and the congregation has also been contributing to the Building Fund.We hope to raise additional revenue from all those who love the work of Louis Sullivan.

The Cathedral is usually open Saturdays for visits from 1pm-4pm. Please call in advance to verify times. Kindly visit Holy Trinity’s website at www.friendsofholytrinity.com. – Leo Harkins Photo Credit: Leo Harkins

SULLIVan’S hOLY TRInITY GeM UnDeRGOeS ReSTORaTIOn