ORDINANCE
Old Chicago Main Post Office Building 404 West Harrison Street (also known as 433 West Van Buren Street)
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 2-120-650 of the Municipal Code, the Commission shall notify the owner of its determination with respect to the proposed Chicago Landmark designation within 45 days after receipt of the owner's consent; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 2-120-690 of the Municipal Code, the Commission has reviewed the entire record of proceedings on the proposed Chicago Landmark designation, including the Designation Report and all of the information on the proposed landmark designation of the Building; and
WHEREAS, the Building meets the four (4) criteria for landmark designation set forth in Sections 2-120-620 (1), (4), (5), and (7) of the Municipal Code; and
WHEREAS, the Building is unique in the historic context of Chicago as the only surviving historic main post office building in Chicago. It is both locally and nationally significant for its role in mail delivery, a primary function of the United States federal government, and it exemplifies locally the significance of the United States Post Office Department to the city, state and nation; and
WHEREAS, as the main postal facility for Chicago between 1934 and 1996, the Building made possible efficient and comprehensive mail service for the city and its larger metropolitan area; and
WHEREAS, the Building was the nexus of activity for the transport of mail throughout the United States and was critical to communications in the United States in the age before the internet; and
WHEREAS, the Building began as a smaller, more modestly-designed United States Mail Building built to facilitate the delivery of parcel post in and through Chicago. Its location over railroad tracks along the west bank of the Chicago River's South Branch allowed ease of integration between postal service activities and the railroads that served this federal department, which continued with the construction of the Building; and
WHEREAS, the Building, through its location above Near West Side rail tracks and adjacent to Union Station, is one of the most significant buildings that resulted directly from the 1909 Plan of Chicago. As such, it exemplifies the historic importance of this seminal planning document in the economic and architectural history of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, the Building is subject to a Preservation Covenant which binds owners of the property to restore, maintain and preserve the property in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings; and
l
WHEREAS, the Building is a grandly-scaled building designed in a modernized Classical variation of the Art Deco architectural style. Federal government buildings had a long tradition of construction in Classical styles. The Building combines modernized Classical ornamentation with sleek, modern forms and detailing to create a building that is a prominent example of modernized Classical / Art Deco-style architecture in Chicago; and
; WHEREAS, the Building has excellent craftsmanship in stone, glass mosaic and decorative metal, both in its exterior and in its main lobby off Van Buren Street; and
WHEREAS, the Building, through its architecture, exemplifies the elaborate mail delivery, sorting and storage processes that made possible mail delivery on the giant scale necessary for twentieth-century Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, the architect of the Building, was one of the most significant architectural firms working jn Chicago in the 1910s and early 1930s. A successor firm to D. H. Burnham & Co., Graham, Anderson, Probst & White was a major designer of large-scale commercial, transportation, institutional and governmental buildings in the city; and
WHEREAS, Graham, Anderson, Probst and White designed many architecturally significant buildings, including the Merchandise Mart, the Civic Opera House Building, the Field Building, the Pittsfield Building, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Chicago Historical Society; and
WHEREAS, the close integration of below-grade railroad tracks with the Building owed much to Graham, Anderson, Probst and White's experience with railway facilities, having designed major rail stations in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Cleveland, as well as Union Station here in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, the Building is a visual "landmark" on the western edge of downtown Chicago due to its great scale and its location on the western bank of the South Branch of the Chicago River, easily visible from many directions; and
WHEREAS, the Building is also visually unique with its historic vehicular passage built into the base of the building in 1934 and intended eventually to accommodate a large-scale extension of Congress Street. Built twenty years later, the Eisenhower Expressway now passes through the building, making the building the de-facto "gateway" to Chicago's Loop for motorists from Chicago's West Side and the western suburbs; and
WHEREAS, consistent with Section 2-120-630 of the Municipal Code, the Building has a significant historic, community, architectural, or aesthetic interest or value, the integrity of which is preserved in light of its location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and ability to express such historic, community, architectural, or aesthetic interest or value; and
WHEREAS, on December 7, 2017, the Commission adopted a resolution recommending to the City Council of the City of Chicago (the "City Council") that the Building be designated a Chicago Landmark; now, therefore,
|1010|
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO:
SECTION 1. The above recitals are hereby adopted as the findings of the City Council.
SECTION 2. The Building is hereby designated a Chicago Landmark in accordance with Section 2-120-700 of the Municipal Code.
SECTION 3. For purposes of Sections 2-120-740 and 2-120-770 of the Municipal Code governing permit review, the significant historical and architectural features of the Building are identified as:
(a.)all exterior elevations, including rooflines, of the building; and
(b.) the interior of the Van Buren Street lobby, as depicted and identified in the attached Exhibit B.
SECTION 4. The Commission is hereby directed to create a suitable plaque appropriately identifying the Building as a Chicago Landmark.
SECTION 5. If any provision of this ordinance shall be held to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, the invalidity or unenforceability of such provision shall not affect any of the other provisions of this ordinance.
SECTION 6. All ordinances, resolutions, motions or orders in conflict with this ordinance are hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict.
SECTION 7. This ordinance shall take effect upon its passage and approval.
|1010|
EXHIBIT A
Building Address
Commonly known as: 404 West Harrison Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607 (also known as 433 West Van Buren Street, Chicago, Illinois 60607)
Permanent Index Number
17-16-130-001-0000
Legal Description
LOT 11 (EXCEPT THE WEST 20 FEET THEREOF) IN RAILROAD COMPANIES' RESUBDIVISION OF BLOCKS 62 TO 76, INCLUSIVE, 78, PARTS OF 61 AND 67 AND CERTAIN VACATED STREETS AND ALLEYS IN SCHOOL SECTION ADDITION TO CHICAGO, BEING A SUBDIVISION OF SECTION 16, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 14, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
EXHIBIT B
Van Buren Street Lobby
rx j c s
rfi n.oc< *o»< urn
ar »vec>t uo*t *«t*
3 0 0 9 3
CANAL STREET
Significant Historic and Architectural Features of tho Interior
at f
ft-
Oi|1010|
|1010|
CITY OF CHICAGO COMMISSION ON CHICAGO LANDMARKS
December 7,2017
RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL OF CHICAGO THAT CHICAGO LANDMARK DESIGNATION BE ADOPTED FOR
OLD CHICAGO MAIN POST OFFICE BUILDING 433 W. Van Buren Street
Including the Following Address Ranges: 401-439 W. Van Buren Street, 401-535 S. Canal Street, and 400-436 W. Harrison Street
Docket No. 2017-05
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago:
Pursuant to Section 2-120-690 of the Municipal Code of the City of Chicago (the "Municipal Code"), the Commission on Chicago Landmarks (the "Commission") has determined that the Old Chicago Main Post Office Building ("the Building") is worthy of designation as a Chicago Landmark. On the basis of careful consideration of the history and architecture of the Building, the Commission has found that it satisfies the following four (4) criteria set forth in Section 2-120-620 of the Municipal Code:
1. Its value as an example of the architectural, cultural, economic, historic, social, or other aspect of the heritage of the City of Chicago, State of Illinois, or the United States.
Its exemplification of an architectural type or style distinguished by innovation, rarity, uniqueness, or overall quality of design, detail, materials, or craftsmanship.
Its identification as the work of an architect, designer, engineer, or builder whose individual work is significant in the history or development ofthe City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, or the United States.
7. Its unique location or distinctive physical appearance or presence representing an established andfamiliar visual feature of a neighborhood, community, or the City of Chicago.
/
I. BACKGROUND /
The formal landmark designation process for the Building began on October 5, 2017 when the Commission approved a preliminary landmark recommendation (the "Preliminary Recommendation") for the Building as a Chicago Landmark. The Commission found that
the Building meets four (4) of the seven (7) criteria for designation, as well as the integrity criterion, identified in the Chicago Landmarks Ordinance (Municipal Code, Section 2-120-580 et seq.). The Preliminary Recommendation, incorporated herein and attached hereto as Exhibit A, initiated the process for further study and analysis of the proposed designation of the Building as a Chicago Landmark. As part of the Preliminary Recommendation, the Commission identified the "significant historical and architectural features" of the Building as:
All exterior elevations, including rooflines, of the building; and
The interior of the Van Buren Street lobby, as depicted and identified in the attached
exhibit.
Also, as part of the Preliminary Recommendation, the Commission adopted a Designation Report, dated October 5, 2017, incorporated herein and attached hereto as Exhibit B.
At its regular meeting of November 2,2017, the Commission received a statement from David Reifman, Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development, supporting the proposed landmark designation of the Building.
In a letter dated November 3, 2017, the Commission officially requested the consent to the proposed landmark designation from the owner of the Building. On November 3, 2017, the Commission received a consent form, November 3,2017, and signed by Mark Karasick, Manager of Managing Member, SL Chicago Member, the owner of the Building, consen ting to the proposed landmark designation of the Building.
II. FINDINGS OF THE COMMISSION ON CHICAGO LANDMARKS
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 2-120-650 of the Municipal Code, the Commission shall notify the owner of its determination with respect to the proposed Chicago Landmark designation within 45 days after receipt of the owner's consent; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 2-120-690 of the Municipal Code, the Commission has reviewed the entire record of proceedings on the proposed Chicago Landmark designation, including the Designation Report and all of the information on the proposed landmark designation of the Building; and
WHEREAS, the Building meets the four (4) criteria for landmark designation set forth in Sections 2-120-620 (1), (4), (5), and (7) of the Municipal Code; and
WHEREAS, the Building is unique in the historic context of Chicago as the only surviving historic main post office building in Chicago. It is both locally and nationally significant for its role in mail delivery, a primary function of the United States federal government, and it exemplifies locally the significance of the United States Post Office Department to the city, state and nation; and
WHEREAS, as the main postal facility for Chicago between 1934 and 1996, the Building made possible efficient and comprehensive mail service for the city and its larger metropolitan area; and
WHEREAS, the Building was the nexus of activity for the transport of mail throughout the United States and was critical to communications in the United States in the age before the internet; and
WHEREAS, the Building began as a smaller, more modestly-designed United States Mail Building built to facilitate the delivery of parcel post in and through Chicago. Its location over railroad tracks along the west bank of the Chicago River's South Branch allowed ease of integration between postal service activities and the railroads that served this federal department, which continued with the construction of the Building; and
WHEREAS, the Building, through its location above Near West Side rail tracks and adjacent to Union Station, is one of the most significant buildings that resulted directly from the 1909 Plan of Chicago. As such, it exemplifies the historic importance of this seminal planning document in the economic and architectural history of Chicago; and
WHEREAS, the Building is subject to a Preservation Covenant which binds owners of the property to restore, maintain and preserve the property in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings; and
WHEREAS, the Building is a grandly-scaled building designed in a modernized Classical variation of the Art Deco architectural style. Federal government buildings had a long tradition of construction in Classical styles. The Building combines modernized Classical ornamentation with sleek, modern forms and detailing to create a building that is a prominent example of modernized Classical / Art Deco-style architecture in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, the Building has excellent craftsmanship in stone, glass mosaic and decorative metal, both in its exterior and in its main lobby off Van Buren Street; and
WHEREAS, the Building, through its architecture, exemplifies the elaborate mail delivery, sorting and storage processes that made possible mail delivery on the giant scale necessary for twentieth-century Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, the architect of the Building, was one of the most significant architectural firms working in Chicago in the 1910s and early 1930s. A successor firm to D. H. Burnham & Co., Graham, Anderson, Probst & White was a major designer of large-scale commercial, transportation, institutional and governmental buildings in the city; and
WHEREAS, Graham, Anderson, Probst and White designed many architecturally significant buildings, including the Merchandise Mart, the Civic Opera House Building, the Field Building, the Pittsfield Building, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Chicago Historical Society; and
|1010|
Rafael M. Leon, Chairman Commission on Chicago Landmarks
Dated: Exhibit A:
Old Chicago Main Post Office Building
|
C^AL STREET
[Significant Historic and Architectural Features of the Interior
Resolution by the
Commission on Chicago Landmarks on the
Preliminary Landmark Recommendation for the
OLD CHICAGO MAIN POST OFFICE BUILDING 433 W. Van Buren Street
October 5, 2017
Whereas, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks (the "Commission") preliminarily finds that:
. the Old Chicago Main Post Office Building (the "Building"), located at the address noted above, meets four (4) criteria for landmark designation as set forth in Section 2-120-620 (1), (4), (5) and (7) of the Municipal Code of Chicago (the "Municipal Code"), as specifically described in the Preliminary Summary of Information submitted to the Commission on this 5th day of October, 2017, by the Department of Planning and Development (the "Preliminary Summary"); and
• the Building satisfies the historic integrity requirement set forth in Section 2-120-630 of the Municipal Code as described in the Preliminary Summary; now, therefore
Be it resolved by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks:
Section 1. The above recitals are expressly incorporated in and made part of this resolution as though fully set forth herein.
Section 2. The Commission hereby adopts the Preliminary Summary and makes a preliminary landmark recommendation concerning the Building in accordance with Section 2-120-630 of the Municipal Code.
Section 3. For purposes of Section 2-120-740 of the Municipal Code governing permi t review, the significant historical and architectural features of the Building are preliminarily identified as:
All exterior elevations, including rooflines, of the Building; and
the interior of the Van Buren Street lobby, as depicted and identified Exhibit A, attached hereto and incorporated herein.
Section 4. The Commission hereby requests a report from the Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development which evaluates the relationship of the proposed designation to the City's governing plans and policies and the effect of the proposed designation on the surrounding neighborhood in accordance with Section 2-120-640 of the Municipal Code.
This recommendation was adopted
Dated:
Exhibit A:
CHICAGO *!vER
Old Chicago Main Post Office Building
CANAL STREET
gggjSlgnlflcant Historic and Architectural Features of the Interior
Exhibit B
Department of Planning and Development
CITY OF CHICAGO
November 2, 2017
Report to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks
on the
Old Main Post Office Building 433 West Van Buren Street
The Department of Planning and Development finds that the proposed designation of the Old Main Post Office Building as a Chicago Landmark supports the City's overall planning goals for the Loop and Near West Side and is consistent with the City's governing policies and plans.
The Old Main Post Office Building closed 1996 and the 2.5 million-square-foot building remained vacant for years. In 2016 the Department issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) which resulted in a developer purchasing the historic building and planning a comprehensive rehabilitation. Landmark designation allows the developer to take advantage of the Cook County Class-L Property Tax Incentive in addition to the 20% Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit, both of which support the massive rehabilitation effort.
The renovation is underway and will convert the former mail facility to offices, primarily targeting commercial users attracted to the structure's 18-foot ceilings and 250,000-square-fool open floor spaces. Amenities will include a three-acre rooftop park, a landscaped public riverwalk, as well as a grand plaza for outdoor dining and leisure. The five-year, $600 million rehabilitation project is projected to generate more than 1,500 construction jobs. An estimated 12,000 people could work in the building when fully-leased.
David L. R^ifman Commissioner
In conclusion, landmark designation of the Old Main Post Office Building supports the City's overall planning and economic development goals for Chicago's Loop and Near West Side community areas and is consistent l^tithjlic^Cily's governing policies and plans.
121 NORTH LASALLE STREET, ROOM 1000, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS G0602
Department of Planning and Development
city of chicago
January 11,2018
The Honorable Anna Valencia City Clerk City of Chicago Room 107, City Hall 121 North LaSalle Street Chicago, IL 60602
RE: Recommendation for the designation of the Old Chicago Main Post Office Building be
designated as a Chicago Landmark, 401-439 W. Van Buren Street, 401-535 S. Canal Street, and 400-436 W. Harrison Street
Dear Clerk Valencia:
We are filing with your office for introduction at the January 17, 2018, City Council meeting as a transmittal to the Mayor and City Council of Chicago the recommendation of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks that the Old Chicago Main Post Office Building be designated as a Chicago Landmark.
The material being submitted to you for this proposal includes the:
Recommendation of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks; and
Proposed Ordinance.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. . 2?
C=3
Eleanor Esser Gorski, AIA Deputy Commissioner
Planning, Design and Historic Preservation Division Department of Planning and Development
ends.
Alderman Daniel Solis, 25th Ward (via email without enclosure)
121 NORTH LASALLE STREET, ROOM 1000, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60602
Mayorai Sir;rn:ura Peqjeit - Tuesday, March 06, 1018