Chicago Blocks Demolition of City Landmark

By Margaret Foster | Online Only | Jan. 18, 2007

The 1927 Farwell Building will be torn down for a condo tower;
its facade will cover a parking lot.

Credit: Preservation Chicago

Chicago heated up last week when the Commission on Chicago Landmarks nixed a developer's plan to demolish a 1927 city landmark and attach its limestone facade to a new 40-story condo building.

At a Jan. 5 meeting, three preservation groups, including the National Trust, testified before the commission, warning that the proposal for the Farwell Building would set a new precedent and make it easier to demolish city landmarks. Although the local Prism Development Company planned to remove and store the facade of the Magnificent Mile structure, the entire building would be replaced by the condo tower's parking garage.

The commission voted 4-3 against Prism's plan.

"Everyone was stunned," says Christina Morris, program officer at the National Trust's Midwest Office, who testified at the public meeting.

Designed by Philip Maher, the Farwell Building has both Art Deco and Classical revival features. It was named a city landmark in 2004.

But the Farwell Building is still in danger, according to Preservation Chicago, a nonprofit that included it on its annual list of the city's seven most endangered historic places, released yesterday. Why? Under the city's landmark ordinance, the developer may appeal the decision, claiming it presents an economic hardship to the company.

The building itself needs work; its limestone exterior is crumbling in places. "We're going to have to figure out some way to stabilize the Farwell Building in the meantime," Morris says.

The Chicago Seven are:

1. Farwell Building, 1927

2. Rosenwald Apartments, 1929

3. Archer Avenue District, 1800s

4. Wicker Park Commercial District, 1800s

5. Julia C. Lathrop Homes, 1938

6. North Avenue Bridge, 1938

7. Pilgrim Baptist Church, 1890

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