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Since 2003, Preservation Chicago has released an annual list of seven important historic buildings and public assets at risk of demolition. The advocacy group’s mission is to sound the alarm on threatened buildings, save them from the wrecking ball, and protect them permanently. The historic buildings within Preservation Chicago’s jurisdiction vary in style, from Art Deco to postmodern. This year’s buildings include office buildings, places of worship and industrial buildings with rich histories. A brief description of each of the seven buildings follows.
Century Consumer Building
Holabird & Roche Architects | Jenny, Mundy & Jensen | 1913–15
William Bryce Mundie was an apprentice to William Le Baron Jenney, known as the father of the American skyscraper. Together with Jenney, Mundie designed the Consumers Building at 202 South State Street in the Loop, completed in 1913. This skyscraper was one of the first steel-framed buildings in Chicago, for which the city is famous. Two years later, in 1915, Holabird & Roche completed a 16-story tower connected to the Consumer Building. The project is a major achievement for the Chicago School of Architecture, but the tower is currently vacant. In 2022, Preservation Chicago heard about a $52 million demolition and replacement plan for the Century Consumer Building, which the group tried to block.
chicago vocational school
John Christensen | 1938–41
Chicago Vocational School is today known as Chicago Vocational College. This Art Deco style building was completed between 1938 and 1941 by John Christensen. Preservation Chicago describes the building as one of the most notable examples of Art Deco/Modern Art architecture in the city of Chicago. The WPA project was once called “the pride of the South Side.” After years of deferred maintenance, the building only serves one-tenth of its built capacity. Preservation Chicago is advocating for the building to be renovated and returned to use.
Stranger’s Home Missionary Baptist Church
Mural: William Walker | Architect: John Neil Tilton | 1901/1974
Movie buffs will recognize Stranger House Missionary Baptist Church from Jordan Peele’s 2021 horror film, candy man. Stranger’s House Missionary Baptist Church, built in 1901 by John Neal Tilton, is an example of Gothic Revival architecture. Overtime, it served a Baptist congregation from Cabrini Green, a public housing development north of the Ring Road that has since been demolished. In 1974, muralist William Walker painted a spectacular relief above the interior altar and on the front. Cabrini Green was demolished amid controversy in 2011, but Strangers’ Home Missionary Baptist Church remains. The Walker’s exterior mural has been painted over, but Preservation Chicago hopes it can be restored to its original glory.
Ogdenkiler industrial building
RC Fletcher | Alfred S.Alschuler | 1916–21
Three historic factory buildings along West Ogden Avenue and South Keeler Avenue are in danger of being demolished. Completed between 1916 and 1921 by RC Fletcher and Alfred S. Alschuler, these buildings are examples of the Prairie School and Classical Revival. The three buildings of the Ogden Keeler Industrial Building were once the headquarters of the Western Felt Factory and the Turner Manufacturing Company. Preservation Chicago advocates for the buildings to be renovated and repurposed.
Lincoln Park Courtyard Building + Four Detached Townhouses
macher and mcgraw | John Morel | 1892–1926
In Lincoln Park, a handful of residential towers completed between 1892 and 1926 are at risk; these include four separate Romanesque Revival townhouses designed by Maher & McGraw fronting the 2300 block of North Sheffield Avenue, and a courtyard designed by John Morrell architecture. Last year, DePaul University proposed demolishing the five buildings to build a new athletics center building. Preservation Chicago is calling on DePaul to choose a different site for its facility.
Schutz Baking Company Building
John Alschlager & Sons | John Alschlager & Sons 1914
At 40 East Garfield Avenue in Washington Park stands the Schutz Baking Company Building, an example of Sullivanian architecture. Completed in 1914 by John Ahlschlarger & Sons, the mansion has a beautiful blue exterior and floral decorations. In 2004, the facility closed and plans were made to convert the building into a data center in 2015. Preservation Chicago is seeking a preservation-friendly owner to ensure the building’s future security.
Swift-Morris Building
James R. Willett and Alfred Pashley | 1892–1917
On December 3, 2023, a major fire broke out at the Swift-Morris Mansion at 4500 South Michigan Avenue in Bronzeville on Chicago’s South Side. The building was completed between 1892 and 1917 by James R. Willett and Alfred Pashley and was designated in 1978 for its Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne motifs Listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A fire in 2023 severely damaged the building’s wooden interior. Today, the building is listed on the National Register, but it is not a local Chicago landmark. Preservation Chicago hopes to make changes and renovate the building.
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