Chicago Historic Preservation
Mies van der Rohe’s Promontory Apartments gets preliminary landmark status
The Hyde Park tower was the famed architect’s first high-rise project.
Zoning changes aim to preserve Milwaukee Avenue and St. Adalbert church
Aldermen Ramirez-Rosa and Sigcho-Lopez are using "downzoning" as a preservation tool in Avondale and Pilsen.
Auditorium Theatre wins award for extensive, decades-long historic preservation effort
Experts worked hard to match the grandeur of its opening in 1889
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple, Robie House added to World Heritage List
The Chicago-area landmarks are two of eight Wright-designed properties to receive the prestigious honor.
Old factory building along the expressway starts new life as loft offices
1308 N. Elston is an early mover into Chicago’s evolving North Branch Corridor.
A Landmark District may not save Pilsen’s historic churches
A 1987 amendment exempts churches like the closing St. Adalbert from being landmarked without their consent.
Restoration of South Side art center teaches youth about historic preservation
The 127-year-old art center building is getting some needed repairs.
Designers reimagine Garfield Park’s abandoned Guyon Hotel
Architects propose a jazz museum, cannabis growhouse, and micro-apartments.
Saving Pilsen’s 100-year-old Sokols, the historic Czech athletic clubs
A historic district could protect two endangered buildings that once defined the Czech neighborhood.
Thompson Center makes national list of endangered historic places
The designation from National Trust for Historic Preservation could help landmark the postmodern building.
‘Ebony’ test kitchen to feature in Museum of Food and Drink exhibit
The psychedelic interior was salvaged from Chicago’s landmark Johnson Publishing Building.
Pilsen Historic District gets OK from Landmarks Commission
If given the final approval, the landmark district would be one of the largest in Chicago and the first to include murals.
Endangered Frank Lloyd Wright cottage finds new owners for $555K
Will the historic North Shore home will be restored or demolished?
Six Chicago-area sites among the most endangered in the state
Landmarks Illinois identified threatened buildings in the Loop, Woodlawn, Lincoln Park, Oak Park and more.
Governor Pritzker puts Thompson Center up for sale
The state’s top elected official has established a two-year timeline to sell the controversial postmodern icon.
Historic Motor Row building eyed for 200-room hotel conversion
The adaptive reuse project is the latest hotel development headed to the McCormick Square entertainment district.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Robie House reopens after major restoration
The structure is considered one of the finest examples of Prairie School design.
Live in the ‘House of Tomorrow’ from the 1933 World’s Fair
All you have to do is cough up $3 million to restore the dilapidated modernist icon
Iconic Palmer House lobby is getting restored to its former glory
Special attention will be paid to the room’s ceiling murals and oversized 24-karat gold candelabras.
Thompson Center sale advances with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s support
The state’s top official is committed to selling the controversial postmodern building.
Watch Union Station get its new skylight in this stunning time-lapse video
The 14-month project unfolds in a matter of seconds.
A glimpse at River City’s new—and controversial—interior makeover
The 1986 Brutalist icon is getting a bright, 21st-century update.
Chicago’s biggest preservation wins of 2018
These victories are worth celebrating.
Auditorium Theatre restores more gold stencil work from Art Institute archival photos
The most recent section took 200 hours of work
Work on historic Quincy station house wraps up
The updates made the landmark L stop accessible for people who have disabilities
Demolition of historic River North row houses postponed
The Superior Street site is home to an ongoing preservation battle and a class-action lawsuit by Chinese investors.
New skylight illuminates Union Station’s masterfully restored Great Hall
How a job to keep out the rain evolved into a complete rehab of one of Chicago’s great public spaces.
Bungalow homeowners win awards for delightful improvement projects
The Chicago Bungalow Association considered 78 nominees.
Evanston’s Harley Clarke Mansion spared from the wrecking ball
City officials voted unanimously against a plan to tear down the 91-year-old lakefront manor.
Bronzeville’s Art Deco public library opens after renovation
The Chicago Bee building’s terracotta facade was repaired and a two-floor gut rehab was completed
Thompson Center sale postponed through next year
The threatened postmodern structure is sticking around for a little longer, according to a State of Illinois report.
Uptown Theatre rehab takes key step forward
The long-awaited rehab of the historic Chicago landmark will start next summer.
Zoning change may save historic River North buildings from demo threat
The 19th century structures might stick around after all.
Chicago Avenue bridge will close Thursday for reconstruction
Downtown residents and commuters can expect several months of traffic detours and delays.
Preservationists push to landmark the Thompson Center
The battle to save the Helmut Jahn’s controversial public building is heating up.
Union Station plan cuts unpopular addition, adds office tower
The reworked plan would minimize changes to the station’s historic headhouse building.
Kanye West vows to reopen Chicago’s Avalon Regal Theater
The celebrity pledged his support for the historic South Side venue on Twitter.
Demolition looms over midcentury modern home in Glencoe
The 1965 home is one of 52 private dwellings designed by notable architect Edward Dart.
Rogers Park TOD would reuse historic terra-cotta storefront
The six-story project slated for 1315 W. Loyola Avenue will be discussed at an upcoming community meeting.