Department of Planning and Development
CITY OF CHICAGO
October 22, 2018
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The Honorable Anna M. Valencia City Clerk City of Chicago Room 107, City Hall 121 North LaSalle Street Chicago, IL 60602
RE: Ordinance Amending and Restating the Designation of the Tribune Tower as a Chicago Landmark
Dear Clerk Valencia:
We are filing with your office for introduction at the October 31, 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 Ordinance Designating of the Tribune Tower as a Chicago Landmark be Amended and Restated.
The material being submitted to you for this proposal includes the:
Recommendation of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks; and
Proposed Ordinance Amending and Restating the Designation of the Tribune Tower as a Chicago Landmark.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
Eleanor Esser Gorski, AIA Bureau Chief
Bureau of Planning, Historic Preservation and Sustainability Department of Planning and Development
ends.
cc: Alderman Brendan Reilly, 42nd Ward (via email without enclosure)
121 NORTH LASALLE STREET, ROOM 1000, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60602
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ORDINANCE AMENDING AND RESTATING S2~ ' g
DESIGNATION OF THE TRIBUNE TOWER AS A CHICAGO LANDMARK ^
WHEREAS, on February 1, 1989, the City Council of the City of Chicago^the "Gity Council") adopted an ordinance designating the Tribune Tower located at 435 North-Mjchigjin Avenue and legally described on Exhibit A attached hereto (the "Building'*'), as aiGhicS^o Landmark (the "1989 Designation Ordinance"); and ^
WHEREAS, the 1989 Designation Ordinance identified the first floor lobbies of the Building and portions of its north, south, east and west facades to be its exclusive "critical features" for landmark protection, as provided in and subject to a resolution of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks (the "Commission") adopted on November 2, 1988 (the "1988 Resolution"); and
WHEREAS, although the 1988 Resolution recommended designation of the Building, it included a number of significant limitations on the Commission's authority to preserve and protect the Building (collectively, the "Limitations"); and
WHEREAS, the Limitations were the result of negotiations between the Chicago Tribune Company, the owner of the Building at the time (the "Original Owner"), and the Commission to obtain the Original Owner's consent to the designation, and are memorialized in an "Agreement for Landmark Designation with Respect to Tribune Tower" dated December 9, 1988 (the "Agreement"); and
WHEREAS, the Agreement was attached to and incorporated into the 1988 Resolution and, thereby, became an integral part of the 1989 Designation Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, among the Limitations in the Agreement, the definition of "critical features" excludes large portions of the east and south facades of the Building (the "Excluded Facade Areas"); and
WHEREAS, the Agreement also excludes from Commission review certain categories of work in or on the protected portions of the facades and other designated "critical features" of the Building; and
WHEREAS, Tribune Tower West (Chicago) Owner, LLC, the current owner of the Building (the "Current Owner") and the Commission recognize that the Excluded Facade Areas are architecturally and aesthetically significant features of the Building, and that the exclusion of these areas from the designation, together with the other Limitations in the Agreement, impair the Commission's ability to protect the Building; and
WHEREAS, the Current Owner and the Commission wish to amend and restate the original landmark designation in order to protect the Building's exterior in its entirety and to eliminate all other Limitations, in accordance with the provisions of § 2-120-580 et seq. of the Municipal Code of Chicago (as amended from time to time, the "Landmarks Ordinance"); and
WHEREAS, the Current Owner has submitted plans and specifications approved by the Commission's Permit Review Committee on July 12, 2018 (the "Approved Plans and Specifications"), for a building permit to alter the exterior elevations and rooflines and the first-floor lobby; and
WHEREAS, the Commission has determined that the Building meets five criteria for landmark designation set forth in § 2-120-620 (1), (3), (4), (5) and (7) of the Landmarks Ordinance in that:
WHEREAS, the Building is one of the most notable buildings in Chicago's central business district; and
WHEREAS, the Building was designed by Raymond H. Hood and John Mead Howells, who were the winners of an international design competition conducted with respect to the design of the Tribune Tower; and
WHEREAS, the construction of the Building was begun in 1923 and completed in May, 1925;and
WHEREAS, the Building is regarded as one of America's most accomplished "Neo-Gothic" skyscrapers, utilizing the strong vertical emphasis of the Neo-Gothic style; and
WHEREAS, the Building's detail and proportion give elegance to its study in vertical lines; 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 October 4, 2018, the Commission adopted a resolution recommending to the City Council that the 1989 Designation Ordinance be amended and restated in order to designate the entire Building, including the Excluded Facade Areas, as a Chicago Landmark without Limitations pursuant to the Landmarks Ordinance and that the Building's significant historical and architectural features be identified as described in Section 4 below; now, therefore
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO:
SECTION 1. The foregoing recitals are hereby adopted as the findings of the City Council.
SECTION 2. The 1989 Designation Ordinance is hereby amended and restated as set forth herein.
SECTION 3. The Building is hereby designated as a Chicago Landmark in accordance with Section 2-120-700 of the Municipal Code.
SECTION 4. 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:
all exterior elevations and rooflines of the Building, as depicted in Exhibit B, attached hereto and incorporated herein; and
the first-floor lobby as depicted and in Exhibit C, attached hereto and incorporated herein.
SECTION 5. The City Council acknowledges, agrees and confirms that the Approved Plans and Specifications will not have an adverse effect on any significant historical or architectural feature of the Building identified in the 1989 Designation Ordinance, as hereby amended and restated.
SECTION 6. This ordinance shall take effect upon its passage and approval.
EXHIBIT A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY
TRIBUNE TOWER PARCEL:
BLOCK 9 IN KINZIE'S ADDITION TO CHICAGO, BEING A SUBDIVISION OF THE NORTH FRACTION OF SECTION 10, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 14 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, INCLUDING THEREIN THE EAST AND WEST ALLEY VACATED BY ORDINANCE PASSED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF SAID CITY OF CHICAGO ON MAY 23, 1923 AND RECORDED JULY 7, 1923 AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 8011744, ALSO INCLUDING THE PART OF NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE IN SAID CITY OF CHICAGO VACATED BY ORDINANCE PASSED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF SAID CITY OF CHICAGO DATED JULY 2, 1923 AND RECORDED AUGUST 2, 1923 AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 8048532, AND PART OF VACATED NORTH ST. CLAIRE STREET LYING EAST AND ADJACENT TO THE EAST LINE OF SAID BLOCK 9 AND ALSO THAT PART OF VACATED EAST HUBBARD STREET LYING SOUTH AND ADJACENT TO THE SOUTH LINE OF SAID BLOCK 9, MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:
BEGINNING AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE NORTH LINE OF SAID BLOCK 9, BEING ALSO THE SOUTH RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF EAST ILLINOIS STREET,-WITH THE EAST RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE PER DOCUMENT NUMBER 8048532; THENCE NORTH 90 DEGREES 00 MINUTES 00 SECONDS EAST ALONG SAID SOUTH RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF EAST ILLINOIS STREET, 301.44 FEET; THENCE SOUTH 00 DEGREES 00 MINUTES 22 SECONDS WEST, 258.96 FEET TO THE NORTH RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF EAST NORTH WATER STREET; THENCE SOUTH 77 DEGREES 31 MINUTES 42 SECONDS WEST, ALONG SAID NORTH RIGHT OF WAY LINE, 154.32 FEET; THENCE NORTH 00 DEGREES 00 MINUTES 00 SECONDS WEST, 74.28 FEET TO A POINT ON THE SOUTH LINE OF SAID BLOCK 9; THENCE SOUTH 90 DEGREES 00 MINUTES 00 SECONDS WEST, ALONG SAID SOUTH LINE, 150.73 FEET TO A POINT ON THE EAST RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE AFORESAID; THENCE NORTH 00 DEGREES 00 MINUTES 00 SECONDS WEST ALONG SAID EAST RIGHT OF WAY LINE, 218.00 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
CONTAINING 74,395 SQUARE FEET OR 1.708 ACRES, MORE OR LESS.
Address Commonly Known As: 435-445 N. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois
Permanent Index Nos.: 17-10-130-001-0000 (Partial) 17-10-130-002-0000 (Partial)
Plant Building
Exhibit B: Tribune Tower, East Elevation
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TV Building
Exhibit B: Tribune Tower, North Elevation
JXJ Significant Historical and Architectural Features
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Plant Building
Exhibit B: Tribune Tower, South Elevation
*y* Significant Historical and Architectural Features
CITY OF CHICAGO COMMISSION ON CHICAGO LANDMARKS
October 4,2018
RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL OF CHICAGO THAT CHICAGO LANDMARK DESIGNATION BE MODIFIED FOR THE
TRIBUNE TOWER 435 N. Michigan Ave.
Docket No. 2018-05
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago:
On February 1, 1989, the City Council of the City of Chicago (the "City Council") adopted an ordinance designating the Tribune Tower located at 435 North Michigan Avenue and legally described on Exhibit A attached hereto (the "Building"), as a Chicago Landmark (the "1989 Designation Ordinance").
The 1989 Designation Ordinance identified the first floor lobbies of the Building and portions of its north, south, east and west facades to be its exclusive "critical features" for landmark protection, as provided in and subject to a resolution of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks (the "Commission") adopted on November 2, 1988 (the "1988 Resolution").
Although the 1988 Resolution recommended designation of the Building, it included a number of significant limitations on the Commission's authority to preserve and protect the Building (collectively, the "Limitations").
The Limitations were the result of negotiations between the Chicago Tribune Company, the owner of the Building at the time (the "Original Owner"), and the Commission to obtain the Original Owner's consent to the designation, and are memorialized in an "Agreement for Landmark Designation with Respect to Tribune Tower" dated December 9, 1988 (the "Agreement").
The Agreement was attached to and incorporated into the 1988 Resolution and, thereby, became an integral part of the 1989 Designation Ordinance.
Among the Limitations in the Agreement, the definition of "critical features" excludes large portions of the east and south facades of the Building (the "Excluded Facade Areas"). The Agreement also excludes from Commission review certain categories of work in or on the protected portions of the facades and other designated "critical features" of the Building.
Tribune Tower West (Chicago) Owner, LLC, the current owner of the Building (the "Current Owner") and the Commission recognize that the Excluded Facade Areas are architecturally and aesthetically significant features of the Building, and that the exclusion of these areas from the designation, together with the other Limitations in the Agreement, impair the Commission's ability to protect the Building.
The Current Owner and the Commission wish to amend and restate the original landmark designation in order to protect the Building's exterior in its entirety and to eliminate all other Limitations, in accordance with the provisions of § 2-120-580 et seq. of the Municipal Code of Chicago (as amended from time to time, the "Landmarks Ordinance")
The Current Owner has submitted plans and specifications approved by the Commission's Permit Review Committee on July 12, 2018 (the "Approved Plans and Specifications"), for a building permit to alter the exterior elevations and rooflines and the first-floor lobby.
I. FINDINGS OF THE COMMISSION ON CHICAGO LANDMARKS
WHEREAS, the Building meets the five (5) criteria for landmark designation set forth in Section 2-120-620 (1), (3), (4), (5) and (7) of the Municipal Code; and
WHEREAS, the Building is one of the most notable buildings in Chicago's central business district; and
WHEREAS, the Building was designed by Raymond H. Hood and John Mead Howells, who were the winners of an international design competition conducted with respect to the design of the Tribune Tower; and
WHEREAS, the construction of the Building was begun in 1923 and completed in May, 1925;
and
WHEREAS, the Building is regarded as one of America's most accomplished "Neo-Gothic" skyscrapers, utilizing the strong vertical emphasis of the Neo-Gothic style; and
WHEREAS, the Building's detail and proportion give elegance to its study in vertical lines; 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; now, therefore,
THE COMMISSION ON CHICAGO LANDMARKS HEREBY:
Incorporates the preamble, and the recitals contained in Section I into its findings; and
Finds, based on the Designation Report and the entire record before the Commission, that the Building meets the five (5) criteria for landmark designation set forth in Sections 2-120-620 (1), (3), (4), (5) and (7) of the Municipal Code; and
Finds that the Building satisfies the "integrity" requirement set forth in Section 2-120-630 of the Municipal Code; and
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4. Makes a Preliminary and Final Landmark Recommendation for the Building; and
Finds that, for the purposes of Sections 2-120-740 and 2-120-770 of the Municipal Code, the significant historical and architectural features of the Building be identified as follows:
all exterior elevations and rooflines of the Building, as depicted in Exhibit B. attached hereto and incorporated herein; and
the first-floor lobby as depicted and in Exhibit C. attached hereto and incorporated herein.
Acknowledges, agrees and confirms that the Approved Plans and Specifications will not have an adverse effect on any significant historical or architectural feature of the Building identified in the 1989 Designation Ordinance, as hereby amended and restated.
This recommendation was adopted yt^^-^^c^*1^
Houlihan, Vice-Chair ommission on Chicago Landmarks Serving as Chair pursuant to Article I.A.2.b. of the Rules and Regulations
Dated: tOc \ ^ ^QlJ^
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EXHIBIT A
LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY
TRIBUNE TOWER PARCEL:
BLOCK 9 IN KPNZIE'S ADDITION TO CHICAGO, BEING A SUBDIVISION OF THE NORTH FRACTION OF SECTION 10, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 14 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, INCLUDING THEREIN THE EAST AND WEST ALLEY VACATED BY ORDINANCE PASSED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF SAID CITY OF CHICAGO ON MAY 23, 1923 AND RECORDED JULY 7, 1923 AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 8011744, ALSO INCLUDING THE PART OF NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE IN SAID CITY OF CHICAGO VACATED BY ORDINANCE PASSED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF SAID CITY OF CHICAGO DATED JULY 2, 1923 AND RECORDED AUGUST 2, 1923 AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 8048532, AND PART OF VACATED NORTH ST. CLAIRE STREET LYING EAST AND ADJACENT TO THE EAST LINE OF SAID BLOCK 9 AND ALSO THAT PART OF VACATED EAST HUBBARD STREET LYING SOUTH AND ADJACENT TO THE SOUTH LINE OF SAID BLOCK 9, MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:
BEGINNING AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE NORTH LINE OF SAID BLOCK 9, BEING ALSO THE SOUTH RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF EAST ILLINOIS STREET, WITH THE EAST RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE PER DOCUMENT NUMBER 8048532; THENCE NORTH 90 DEGREES 00 MINUTES 00 SECONDS EAST ALONG SAID SOUTH RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF EAST ILLINOIS STREET, 301.44 FEET; THENCE SOUTH 00 DEGREES 00 MINUTES 22 SECONDS WEST, 258.96 FEET TO THE NORTH RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF EAST NORTH WATER STREET; THENCE SOUTH 77 DEGREES 31 MINUTES 42 SECONDS WEST, ALONG SAID NORTH RIGHT OF WAY LINE, 154.32 FEET; THENCE NORTH 00 DEGREES 00 MINUTES 00 SECONDS WEST, 74.28 FEET TO A POINT ON THE SOUTH LINE OF SAID BLOCK 9; THENCE SOUTH 90 DEGREES 00 MINUTES 00 SECONDS WEST, ALONG SAID SOUTH LINE, 150.73 FEET TO A POINT ON THE EAST RIGHT OF WAY LINE OF NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE AFORESAID; THENCE NORTH 00 DEGREES 00 MINUTES 00 SECONDS WEST ALONG SAID EAST RIGHT OF WAY LINE, 218.00 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
CONTAINING 74,395 SQUARE FEET OR 1.708 ACRES, MORE OR LESS.
Address Commonly Known As: 435-445 N. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois
Permanent Index Nos.: 17-10-130-001-0000 (Partial) 17-10-130-002-0000 (Partial)
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Exhibit B: Tribune Tower, East Elevation
Significant Historical and Architectural Features
i