Despite the best efforts of
preservationists, significant buildings still are destroyed!
The images below track some of the
recent losses-showing the building before, during demolition, and the
current use of the site. In many cases, unfortunately, all that remains is
a vacant lot. To witness this transformation, simply click on an image and
you will see a three-part "slide show:" going, going, gone .
Bache Memorial Chapel
Built 1972
Baum and Temple Buildings
Built 1908
In April, 2005 the Bache Memorial Chapel in Cartwright
Cemetery in rural Tuscola was demolished. The reinforced concrete chapel was a
rare and significant example of Brutalism-style architecture in rural Illinois.
FULL STORY
Demolished by the City of Danville in 2001, just
months after having been named to LPCI’s Ten Most Endangered list. At the
time of demolition, each building had been vacant and neglected for at
least half a decade.
FULL STORY
Stephen J.
Beggs House
Built 1910
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago
and St. Louis Railroad Station
Built 1916
May 2002, this Elmhurst house, was demolished after a
developer purchased the lot it sat on for $460,000. The
residence, built in 1910 for an officer with a patent medicine company,
was designed by architect Walter B. Griffin.
FULL STORY
The National Register listed Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis
Railroad Station (the “Big Four”) in Mattoon was demolished in April of 2004 by its
owners. The Beaux-Arts style structure served as a railroad depot.
FULL STORY
Congregational
Church
Built 1892
DuPage Theatre
Built 1928
This long-vacant structure, whose four-story bell tower has been a
Pittsfield downtown landmark for 112 years, was ordered torn down in Sept.
2003 by the City Council due to safety concerns. Numerous attempts to
stabilize the 1881 building failed. FULL STORY
After a decade of community protests, alternative
plans, and a lawsuit, the village board voted in March 2007 to
completely demolish this 1928 structure — despite what advocates had
perceived to be a final compromise for its redevelopment. FULL STORY
Emmanuel
Presbyterian Church
Built 1965
Fischer-Crane Mansion
Built 1892
On August 3, 2007, the Emmanuel
Presbyterian Church, was demolished by its owner, the Heneghan Wrecking Co. The
brick church had been designed by Edward Dart, an award-winning architect best
known for St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, Illinois.
FULL STORY
With the demolition of the red brick
Queen Anne-style Fischer-Crane
mansion in February 2003, Elmhurst has
lost another historic building. The
impressive and still structurally sound
building was torn down —
despite
preservation efforts.
FULL STORY
Hayes-Healy
Gymnasium
Built 1929
Hotel
LaSalle Garage
Built 1918
The Chicago Transit Authority
demolished this Collegiate Gothic-style building in December 2005. The
structure, which had been built in 1929 as a gym for the McCormick Theological
Seminary, is owned by DePaul University …
FULL STORY
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted in November 2004 not to recommend
landmark designation of this 87-year-old parking garage, which was one of the
oldest buildings of its kind in the U.S. The city’s planning department had
opposed the designation …
FULL STORY
pre-dated both the Civil War and the Fire
of 1871—was torn down on September 30, 2002. This 1859 two-story
Italianate was
demolished in order to
construct a condominium
building.
FULL STORY
W.
H. Knight
House
Built 1894
Marsh House
Built 1910
Hinsdale has lost 25% of its housing stock to the
teardown phenomenon in the past ten years. This Queen Anne-style building
was torn down in late summer 2002 by its new owner, for a new super-sized
residence on the prominent corner site.
FULL STORY
This Prairie Style residence design by Walter Burley Griffin and built for
securities broker James S. Marsh, sat on a wooded lot opposite
Winnetka’sNew Trier High School. The new owner-developer demolished
this historic building.
FULL STORY
Teardowns continue to plague this North Side
neighborhood, as one of its oldest structures, the 120-year-old North
Shore Spanish Baptist Church, at Montrose and Hermitage, was demolished in
late November 2004.
FULL STORY
Host to a variety of amusements and early twentieth century's
celebrities, Rainbo Gardens has long been one of Chicago's
premier recreation and entertainment venues. As early as 1894, the site
was occupied by a small roadside restaurant.
FULL STORY
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
Built 1912
St. Leo Catholic
Church
Built 1905
The
Archdiocese of Chicago began demolition of this 94-year-old structure in
March 2006, amid protests from the Chicago Heights Historic Preservation
Advisory Committee. A city demolition permit had been issued without
committee review …
FULL STORY
This 1905 Romanesque Revival church features a
majestic bell tower and other Prairie Style-influenced details. Its
architect was William J. Brinkman, whose church designs include St.
Michael’s in the Chicago Old Town Triangle District.
FULL STORY
Simmons-Cooke House
Built 1854
Universalist
Unitarian Church
Built 1911
The fight to save this 19th c Greek Revival structure in
Downtown Waukegan has been lost. In March 2005, the Waukegan Historic
Preservation Commission asked the County for an additional six months to
relocate the building.
FULL STORY
This 1911 Neo Classical-style church was sold in 2004
by the congregation to a local medical center. The congregation relocated
to a new facility. The Joliet church was not protected as a local landmark, and
the new owner planned to demolish the structure.
FULL STORY
Walker School
Built 1925
A 2004 local school bond referendum included $8.2
million to replace historic Walker School. Local preservationists had
campaigned to remodel the school rather than demolish it for a new
two-story structure.
FULL STORY
"Going" Illustration by John Michael Downs
Landmarks Illinois
Suite 1315
53 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604
tel. 312-922-1742
fax 312-922-8112
