ORDINANCE
West Burton Place District 150-160 W. Burton Place 143-161 W. Burton Place
WHEREAS, pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Municipal Code of Chicago (the "Municipal Code"), Sections 2-120-630 through -690, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks (the "Commission") has determined that West Burton Place District (the "District"), consisting of 150-160 (evens) West Burton Place and 143-161 (odds) West Burton Place, Chicago, Illinois, legally described in Exhibit A attached hereto and incorporated herein, satisfies five (5) criteria for landmark designation as set forth in Section 2-120-620 (1),(3),(4),(5) and (6) of the Municipal Code; and
WHEREAS,,the District is one of the few remaining "artist colonies" extant in the City of Chicago, which exemplifies the use of found objects, handmade carvings, stained and painted art glass, concrete and plaster reliefs and other artwork. These and various other materials were used to create works of art in internal and external contexts in artist studios in which artists and craftsmen lived and worked; and
WHEREAS, the District became the successor to the Towertown neighborhood as a cohesive geographical enclave for artists in the late 1920s and 1930s. Artists began relocating to the District after Towertown was redeveloped into a higher rent and increasingly commercial area following the completion in 1920 of the Michigan Avenue Bridge; and
WHEREAS, the artist colony that developed in the District became the home and work place of numerous prominent artists and architects of national and international stature for over eight decades, and artists, architects and patrons of the arts continue to reside and/or work in the proposed District; and
WHEREAS, the architects and artisans who built and resided in the District contributed to the unique artistic fabric of the District, and the broader Old Town neighborhood and City of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, several of these artists, architects and craftsmen achieved enduring re...
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