Landmarks Commission honors Chicago’s best preservation projects for 2017

Chicago Planning & Development
3 min readOct 25, 2017

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Polish National Alliance Building, 1514 W. Division St., Studio Gang (Courtesy A. Rauch Photography)

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks today honored 13 unique redevelopment projects with Preservation Excellence Awards, including the rehabilitation of the long-vacant Rosenwald Court Apartments in Grand Boulevard, the restoration of the 134-year-old All Saints Episcopal Church in Uptown and the adaptive reuse of the Bush Temple of Music on the Near North Side.

“The Preservation Excellence Awards celebrate the remarkable commitments of private property owners to Chicago’s heritage, its history, and its character,” said David L. Reifman, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development, which provides staff services to the Landmarks Commission. “In terms of rehabilitation and new construction, these projects represent the best of the best.”

The 2017 awards, held for the 18th year, were presented on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St.

333 N. Michigan Ave., Wirtz Realty (Courtesy Jon Miller/Hedrich Blessing)

The honorees were chosen by the Commission’s Permit Review Committee, which considered dozens of projects involving individual landmarks and landmark district buildings that were completed over the last year. The honorees include property owners, architects, design professionals and historic preservation specialists and advocates.

In addition, the Commission presented its 2017 John Baird Award for Stewardship to the Chicago Architecture Foundation for its work to encourage public dialog and advocacy that inspires high standards in urban design. Founded in 1966, the CAF’s education programs, exhibitions and docent-led tours annually involve more than 670,000 people. The award is named in honor of John Baird, a long-time member of the Landmarks Commission who passed away in 2013.

A video commemorating the recent 50-year anniversary of the Chicago Architecture Foundation, the recipient of this year’s John Baird Award for Stewardship.

Other honored construction projects include the adaptive reuse of the former Mulligan School in Lincoln Park; the rehabilitation of the art deco skyscraper at 333 N. Michigan Ave.; the restoration of private homes in South Shore and the Near North Side; and the adaptive reuse of West Town’s Polish National Alliance Building.

Motor Row Defender Building, 2400 S. Michigan Ave., Property Adventure Corp. (Courtesy Frank Ishman)

Information on each of the award recipients is available at the links below.

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