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Emmanuel
Presbyterian Church
1850 S. Racine, Chicago
(Cook County)
Built 1965
On August 3, 2007, the
Emmanuel Presbyterian Church in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, 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.
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The modernist gem, which had
been nestled in a streetscape of late-19th century buildings, had been
the subject of advocacy efforts by Landmarks Illinois since it learned
last spring of the church’s closing and acquisition by Heneghan. In
April, Landmarks Illinois requested that the Commission on Chicago
Landmarks designate the building as a local landmark to ensure its
protection, but that action had not taken place. Because the church had
been built after 1940—the cut-off date for inclusion in the Chicago
Historic Resources Survey—it was not subject to the city’s 90-day
demolition delay ordinance for significant structures.
The building had been featured in two recent Chicago Tribune articles by
Blair Kamin--one appearing just days before the demolition took place.
The Heneghan Wrecking Co., whose motto is “We Make Space,” also was the
demolition contractor for the Du Page Theater in Lombard (2000 Ten Most List), the Kendall College Block in Evanston (2004-05 Watch List), and
the Rainbo Gardens in Chicago (2003-04 Watch List).
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For images of the church from 2007
and from a June 1966 Architectural Forum article, view the
PDF HERE. |
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For images of the church’s
demolition, go t0
Lee Bey: Urban
Observer. |
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Photo credit: David Schalliol
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