Department of Planning and Development city of chicago
July 15,2019
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The Honorable Anna M. Valencia City Clerk City of Chicago Room 107, City Hall 121 North LaSalle Street Chicago, Illinois 60602
RE: Ordinance designating the (Former) Lyman Trumbull Public School Building (5200 N. Ashland) as a Chicago Landmark
Dear Clerk Valencia:
We are filing with your office for introduction at the July 24, 2019, City Council meeting as a transmittal to the Mayor and City Council of Chicago the recommendation of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks that the (Former) Lyman Trumbull Public School 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.
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Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Kathleen E. Dickhut Acting Bureau Chief
Bureau of Planning, Historic Preservation & Sustainability Department of Planning and Development
ends.
cc: Alderman Vasquez, 40th Ward (via email w/ enclosure)
121 NORTH LASALLE STREET, ROOM 1000. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60602
ORDINANCE
(Former) Lyman Trumbull Public School Building 5200-5224 N. Ashland Avenue/1600-1612 W. Foster Avenue
WHEREAS, pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Municipal Code of Chicago (the "Municipal Code"), Sections 2-120-620 through -690, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks (the "Commission") has determined that the (Former) Lyman Trumbull Public School Building (the "Building"), located at 5200-5224 N. Ashland Avenue/1600-1612 W. Foster Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, legally described in Exhibit A attached hereto and incorporated herein, satisfies three (3) criteria for landmark designation as set forth in Section 2-120-620 (1),(4) and (5) of the Municipal Code; and
WHEREAS, the Building reflects the importance of Chicago's public schools to the city's social and cultural history; and
WHEREAS, public education has historically been one of the most important responsibilities of Chicago government, and public school buildings are visual and social anchors in the city's neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, the Building is designed with large windows for ample light and ventilation and a large playground that reflects the Progressive Era's desire to enhance the learning experience through architecture and design; and
WHEREAS, the Building exemplifies the Prairie School of architecture, a historically-important and innovative style of architecture derived from the Midwest plains and developed by a circle of Chicago architects; and
WHEREAS, innovative and rare aspects of the design of the Building include its strong geometric massing and its use of alternating horizontal bands of light and dark colored brick that extends across vertical piers and window mullions; and
WHEREAS, the use of brick set in geometric patterns at the entrance entablature reveals a high level of craftsmanship in traditional masonry materials; and
WHEREAS, the Building also possess significant interior historical and architectural features including the first floor auditorium and vestibule leading to it from the West Foster Avenue entrance as well as the four open stairwells at the perimeter of the auditorium from the first floor to the fourth floor skylights; and
WHEREAS, the Building was designed by Dwight H. Perkins, a significant architect in the context of Chicago architecture; and
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WHEREAS, as architect for the Board of Education of the City of Chicago, Perkins designed more than 40 school buildings and additions to existing buildings, many of which are innovative in overall design and spatial planning; and
WHEREAS, the Building through its handsomely-designed Prairie School exterior is a fine and significant example of Perkins' efforts in progressive school architecture; and
WHEREAS, in private practice, Perkins designed many significant buildings in Chicago and elsewhere, including the South Pond Refectory (now Cafe Brauer) and the Lincoln Park Zoo Lion House, both Chicago Landmarks; and
WHEREAS, Perkins is significant in Chicago planning history as a strong advocate for Chicago parks and playgrounds and for the creation of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County; 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 June 6, 2019, 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,
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:
all exterior elevations, including rooflines, of the Building.
the first floor auditorium and vestibule leading to it from the W. Foster Avenue entrance, as depicted and identified as Exhibit B, attached hereto and incorporated herein; and,
the four open stairwells at the perimeter of the auditorium from the first floor to the fourth floor skylights, as depicted and identified on Exhibit B, attached hereto and incorporated herein.
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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.
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EXHIBIT A
Building Address
5200-5224 N. Ashland Avenue/1600-1612 W. Foster Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Permanent Index Number
14-07-230-014-0000
Legal Description
THE EAST 9.2 FEET OF LOT 1, ALL OF LOTS 2 TO 22 IN B.R. DE YOUNG'S SUBDIVISION OF SOUTH 1/2 OF LOTS 36, 37, 38 AND 39, THE EAST 95.04 FEET OF THE NORTH 1/2 OF LOT 39 AND ALL OF LOT 40 IN MOUNT PLEASANT, A SUBDIVISION IN SOUTH 1/2 OF THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF THE NORTHEAST 1/4 OF SECTION 7, TOWNSHIP 40 NORTH, RANGE 14, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINICPAL MERIDIAN, (EXCEPTING THEREFROM THE EAST 10 FEET OF SAID LOTS 4 TO 13, TAKEN FOR WIDENING OF ASHLAND AVENUE) IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
ALSO ALL OF THE NORTH - SOUTH VACATED ALLEY LYING WEST OF AND ADJOINING SAID LOTS 4 TO 13, BOTH INCLUSIVE, AND THAT PART OF THE EAST - WEST VACATED ALLEY LYING WEST OF THE EAST LINE OF SAID LOT 3 EXTENDED SOUTH TO THE NORTH LINE OF SAID LOT 14 AND LYING EAST OF THE WEST LINE OF THE EAST 9.2 FEET OF SAID LOT 1 EXTENDED SOUTH TO THE NORTH LINE OF SAID LOT 16, ALL IN B.R. DE YOUNG'S SUBDIVISION, AFORESAID.
|1010|Exhibit B
West Foster Avenue
CITY OF CHICAGO COMMISSION ON CHICAGO LANDMARKS
June 6,2019
RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL OF CHICAGO THAT CHICAGO LANDMARK DESIGNATION BE ADOPTED FOR
THE
(FORMER) LYMAN TRUMBULL PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING 5200-5224 N. ASHLAND AVENUE/1600-1612 W. FOSTER AVENUE
Docket No. 2019-04
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 (Former) Lyman Trumbull Public School Building (the "Building") is worthy of Chicago Landmark designation. On the basis of careful consideration of the history and architecture of the Building, the Commission has found that it satisfies the following three (3) criteria set forth in Section 2-120-620 of the Municipal Code:
/. 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 of the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, or the United States.
1. BACKGROUND
The formal landmark designation process for the Building began on April 4, 2019, 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 three (3) 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
l
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.
Also, as part of the Preliminary Recommendation, the Commission adopted a Designation Report, dated April 4, 2019, incorporated herein and attached hereto as Exhibit B. Futhermore, at the April 4, 2019 Commission meeting, Commission directed staff to also evaluate the interior of the Building to identify any spaces that might be included as significant features of the landmark designation.
¦ At its regular meeting of May 2, 2019, the Commission received a report, attached as Exhibit C, from David Reifman, I hen-Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development, stating that the proposed landmark designation of the Building supports the City's overall planning and economic development goals for Chicago's Edgewater Community Area and is consistent with the City's governing policies and plans.
Also at the May 2, 2019 meeting, the Commission reaffirmed its Preliminary Findings adopted on April 4, 2019 and adopted an Expanded Preliminary Summary of Information. The Expanded Preliminary Summary of Information and Expanded Designation Report, attached as Exhibit D and Exhibit E, respectively, identified the "significant historical and architectural features" of the Building as:
All exterior elevations, including rooflines, of the Building; and
« the first floor auditorium and vestibule leading to it from the W. Foster Avenue entrance; and,
the four open stairwells at the perimeter of the auditorium from the first floor to the fourth floor skylights,
Finally, at the May 2, 2019 meeting, the Commission officially requested consent to the proposed landmark designation from the owner of the Building. The Commission has received a consent form signed by the current owner 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 three (3) criteria for landmark designation set forth in Section 2-120-620 (1), (4) and (5) of the Municipal Code; and|1010|
WHEREAS, the Building reflects the importance of Chicago's public schools to the city's social and cultural history; and
WHEREAS, public education has historically been one of the most important responsibilities of Chicago government, and public school buildings are visual and social anchors in the city's neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, the Building is designed with large windows for ample light and ventilation and a large playground that reflects the Progressive Era's desire to enhance the learning experience through architecture and design; and
WHEREAS, the Building exemplifies the Prairie School of architecture:, a historically-important and innovative style derived from the Midwest plains and developed by a circle of Chicago architects; and
WHEREAS, innovative and rare aspects of the design of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building include its strong geometric massing and its use of alternating horizontal bands of light and dark colored brick that extends across vertical piers and window mullions; and
WHEREAS, the use of brick set in geometric patterns at the entrance entablature reveals a high level of craftsmanship in traditional masonry materials; and
WHEREAS, the Building also possess significant interior historical and architectural features including the first floor auditorium and vestibule leading to it from the West Foster Avenue entrance as well as the four open stairwells at the perimeter of the auditorium from the first floor to the fourth floor skylights; and
WHEREAS, the Building was designed by Dwight H. Perkins, a significant architect in tlie context of Chicago architecture; and
WHEREAS, as Architect for the Chicago Board of Education, Perkins designed more than 40 school buildings and additions to existing buildings, many of which are innovative in overall design and spatial planning; and
WHEREAS, the Building through its handsomely-designed Prairie School exterior, is a fine and significant example of Perkins' efforts in progressive school architecture; and
WHEREAS, in private practice, Perkins designed many significant buildings in Chicago and elsewhere, including the South Pond Refectory (now Cafe Brauer) and the Lincoln Park Lion House, both Chicago Landmarks; and
WHEREAS. Perkins is significant in Chicago planning history as a strong advocate for Chicago parks and playgrounds and for the creation of the Forest Preserves of Cook County District; and
WHEREAS, consistent with Section 2-120-630 of the Municipal Code, the|1010|
Building has a significant historic, community, architectural, or aesthetic interest or value, 4he 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 Sections I and II into its findings; and
Adopts the Final Designation Report, as revised, and dated this 6lh day of June 2019; and
Finds, based on the Designation Report and the entire record before the Commission, that the Building meets the three criteria for landmark designation set forth in Sections 2-120-620 (1), (4) and (5) 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
Finds that the significant historical and architectural features of the Building are identified as follows:
All exterior elevations, including rooflines, of the Building;
the first floor auditorium and vestibule leading to it from the W, Foster Avenue entrance, as depicted and identified as Exhibit F, attached hereto and incorporated herein; and,
the four open stairwells at the perimeter of the auditorium from the first floor to the fourth floor skylights, as depicted and identified on Exhibit F, attached hereto and incorporated herein.
Recommends that the Building be designated a Chicago Landmark.
This recommendation was adopted
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Rafael M. Leon, Chairman
Commission on Chicago Landmarks
Exhibit
Resolution by the
Commission on Chicago Landmarks on the
Preliminary Landmark Recommendation For the
(FORMER) LYMAN TRUMBULL PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING
Including the Following Address Ranges:
5200-5224 N. Ashland Avenue (evens) 1600-1612 W. Foster Avenue (evens)
April 4, 2019
Whereas, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks (hereinafter the "Commission") preliminarily finds that:
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building (the "Building"), located at the addresses noted above, meets three (3) criteria for landmark designation as set forth in Section 2-120-620 (1), (4) and (5) of the Municipal Code of Chicago (the "Municipal Code"), as specifically described in the Preliminary Summary of Information submitted to the Commission on this 4th day of April, 2019, 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 I. 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 permit review, the significant historical and architectural features of the Building are preliminarily identified as:
All exterior elevations, including rooflines, of the Building.
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 yf/^n^u^y><^^^ C ^ ' ® 3
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Rafael M. Leon, Chairman
4/8/19 Commission on Chicago Landmarks
Exhibit
Preliminary Summary of Information
Submitted to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks in April 2019
(Former) Lyman Trumbull Public School Building
5200-5224 N. Ashland Ave. /1600-1612 W. Foster Ave.
CITY OF CHICAGO t. Rahni Emanuel, Mayor
Department of Planning and Development David Reifman, Commissioner
Table of Contents
Building Location Map|910|Building Description|910|Architect Dwight H. Perkins|910|Criteria for Designation|910|Significant Historical and
Architectural Features 11
Selected Bibliography 12
(Former) Lyman Trumbull Public School Building
5200-5224 N. Ashland Ave. / 1600-1612 W. Foster Ave.
Dates: 1908-1909 (original building)
1913 (east wing) Architects: Dwight H. Perkins (original building)
Arthur Hussander (east wing)
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building was designed by distinguished Chicago architect Dwight H. Perkins and completed in 1909. Perkins served as architect for the Chicago Board of Education from 1905 to 1910 and is regarded as one of the board's most progressive architects. Built as an elementary school, Trumbull is regarded as one of Perkins's most innovative designs for the Board of Education. With its lack of historical ornamentation, emphasis on simple brick materials, strong massing and a combination of vertical and horizontal emphases, the design of Trumbull exemplifies the Prairie School of architecture,
The building is listed as a contributing building in the Andersonville Commercial Historic District which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. In 1996, the Chicago Historic Resources Survey rated the building orange for its architectural and historical significance within its context of Edgewater and Andersonville. The building is also published in the AIA Guide to Chicago and Carl W. Condit's influential architectural history The Chicago School of Architecture published in 1964.
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building is identified as a significant building in the Chicago Public School Buildings, Pre-1940 Context Statement adopted by the Commission on April 4, 2019. The context statement narrates the history of Chicago Public Schools and the buildings associated with that institutions history, including Trumbull. The context statement establishes that Chicago Public School buildings may be considered for landmark designation if they meet Criterion 1 for heritage and Criterion 4 for architecture as well as the separate integrity criterion. The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building meets Criterion 1 as a tangible symbol of the social and educational reforms put forward by the Progressive Movement in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Trumbull also meets Criterion 4 as an innovative example of the Prairie School movement in architecture. Furthermore, the building was designed by Dwight H. Perkins, who meets Criterion 5 as a significant Chicago architect. For a more complete history of the architecture of the Chicago Public Schools and Dwight H. Perkins, the reader is advised to consult the Chicago Public School Buildings, Pre-1940
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The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building, shaded gray in the above map, is located at the northwest corner of Foster and Ashland Avenues in the Andersonville neighborhood within the larger Edgewater Community Area.
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Context Statement. The scope of this brief designation report is limited to a description of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building and a biography of Dwight H. Perkins.
The building ceased operating as a public elementary school in 2013 and was eventually sold to a private entity by the Public Building Commission (PBC) of Chicago. The PBC required future owners of the building to preserve it and to consent to Chicago Landmark Designation. The building currently houses the Chicago Waldorf School.
Building Description
Eschewing the conventional monotone, red-brick structures adorned with surface ornament embraced by his predecessors, Dwight H. Perkins brought public school architecture into a new era both inside and out. Having designed distinctly Prairie School-influenced schools such as the Graeme Stewart Elementary School, the Lyman Trumbull Elementary building on Chicago's North Side and its identical counterpart on the West Side, Tilton School, also exhibited the strong geometry and use of brickwork seen in Prairie School architecture but also incorporated the repeating rhythm of vertical piers characteristic of the Chicago School of architecture.
Given his background, it was no great surprise that Perkins would look to the no-nonsense, economics-driven design approach he had cut his teeth on at Burnham and Root when exhorted by the Chicago School Board President Alfred R. Urion to abandon what he termed as Perkins' "extravagant" designs in favor of a less expensive type to be replicated with greater efficiency. Urion called upon Perkins to create school buildings that embodied "simplicity and strength of construction...with beauty of outline, harmony of color, etc." Although the building the Board President espoused as a foremost example of a building in this vein was William Mundie's 1901 Libby School, what he got from Perkins was more like an austere factory building whose simplicity was meant to convey economy.
The stripped-down elevations of this four-story structure, more or less square in plan and later extended northward, gave it a monolithic character. Powerful, battered towers framing the primary entrance and initially establishing the northwest and northeast corners punctuate and rise above the horizontal dominance of the building's dimensions. Perhaps most striking was the use of alternating colors of brick which broke up large fields of masonry and created a rhythmic language which visually connected all elevations of the structure.
The primary elevation at Foster Avenue has the feel of a temple facade with solid walls at either end and a central entry pavilion framed by projecting towers separated by an architrave. The architrave is ornamented with brick masonry set in diamond and rectangular patterns. Terra cotta in a matching color scheme frames the architrave and is used as banding at the top of piers. Pyramidal roofs on the towers and a central pediment included in the structure originally but now missing would have further emphasized the verticality and symmetry drawing focus to the entry. The tapering verticals of the towers are repeated in the limestone window and door surrounds. Bay windows are set into the base of each tower and single windows punctuate the upper floors with decorative masonry used for spandrels and as a frame around the windows.|1010|
The design of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building relies on bold, geometric massing in lieu of traditional architectural ornamentation; the color scheme consists of two-tone brick set in horizontal bands (top). The entrance pavilion (lower left) is framed by projecting towers and surmounted by an entablature with brick set in a geometric pattern. The facade is articulated by deep vertical piers (lower right).
Tall, segmented windows above the three double entry doors are separated by thin vertical piers. Limestone coping tops the towers here and at the other elevations with the remainder of the structure topped by terra cotta coping.
Bedford stone wraps the base of the structure and is topped by light tan brick along the first floor. Continuous light tan brick is also employed at the top of the structure to create a subtle, flush cornice and at corners to frame each elevation. Polychromatic piers divide primary elevations into grids. Within each block of the grid, five tall windows are recessed and separated by vertical piers. Terra cotta headers and sills frame these and all windows on the structure. Brick spandrel panels are set below the second and third floor windows. Between the third and fourth floors, continuous flush bands create a stronger horizontal to visually separate the upper portion of the building. Simple, large, terra cotta scuppers are installed above the interior polychromatic piers. Stone banding above the first floor and continuous terra cotta headers above the fourth floor windows extends down across the top of each pier, creating a subtle, shared vocabulary.
Construction of the building began in October 1908 and the school opened in September 1909. It was dedicated in April 1910 when it was named for Lyman Trumbull, a Civil War Era U.S. Senator who supported the abolition of slavery.
Board of Education architect Arthur Hussander oversaw construction of a wing which was built in 1913 along the east elevation mirroring the design of the existing structure. This wing was part of Perkins' original design and it was meant to respond to the school system's seemingly perpetual need to respond to localized growth of student populations. Although a second wing at the west elevation was also shown in architectural plans, it was never built.
Architect Dwight H. Perkins
Dwight H. Perkins (1867 - 1941) is significant to Chicago's architectural, social, and planning history for his dedication to the city's welfare and for his architectural work during the rise of the Prairie School. Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1867, Perkins moved with his family to Chicago at age twelve. Before completing high school, the death of his father forced him to find employment to help support his family. He took a position at the Chicago Stockyards before entering the office of architect Frederick R. Schock. With the help of family friend Mrs. Charles Hitchcock, Perkins enrolled in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's architecture program. Afterward he remained in Boston as a university instructor and as an assistant in office of architect Henry Hobson Richardson.
Perkins returned to Chicago in 1888 and worked briefly with Wheelock & Clay before becoming John Wellborn Root's assistant at Burnham & Root. Following Root's death in 1891,
Portrait of Dwight H. Perkins (from Brickbuilder, June 1915)|1010|
and while Daniel Burnham was involved in organizing and designing the fair grounds for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, Perkins became the manager of the firm's tremendous project schedule. Before leaving the firm. Perkins completed several of Root's last commissions, and some of Chicago's most recognized Chicago School buildings including the Monadnock Block (a designated Chicago landmark).
Perkins started his own firm in early 1894, following a commission from the Steinway Piano Company for a new 1 1-story office tower and recital hall (completed 1896, demolished). The design of the Steinway Building reflected to the Beaux Arts Classicism made popular by Burnham and his plan for the 1893 fair. When the Steinway Building was completed, Perkins took offices in the building and established there a collaborative studio space in the attic that became an important center in the development of the Prairie School of architecture, an original form of American architecture inspired by the Midwest prairie. Irving and Allen Pond, Robert Spencer, Perkin's cousin Marion Mahony, and Walter Burley Griffin all collaborated in Perkins's new studio space; Frank Lloyd Wright opened his first office in the building.
The civic and social responsibilities of architecture to the city were the focus of Perkins's practice. Perkins's progressive attitude and sense for how architecture could serve as the framework for social improvement developed from an early age. His mother, Marion Perkins, was involved in social reform and was an associate of Jane Addams, founder of the Hull House Settlement. The need for new supportive centers for poorer immigrant and working-class communities led Perkins to collaborate with and design settlement houses for both the University of Chicago and Northwestern University; only the University of Chicago settlement house was completed (demolished).
During the 1890s, a new type of study that mapped social problems in the city identified geographic disparities experienced between poor and more affluent neighborhoods as potential sources for certain social and health issues in poorer neighborhoods. In 1903, Perkins and landscape architect Jens Jensen published a report for the Special Parks Commission that detailed the needs for open space in the city. The report called for the consolidation of Chicago's many park commissions, and outlined a proposal for the addition of dozens of small, but accessible, neighborhood parks and playgrounds as breathing spaces across the city. These parks would open congested neighborhoods and improve the health and wellbeing of residents -especially children. By 1907, the creation of dozens of new parks brought green space, recreation facilities, baths, and social services to many Chicago neighborhoods. Perkins continued to promote an even greater series of parks by advocating for the creation of the forest preserves that today ring Chicago's western boundaries; a section of preserve in Evanston was named in his honor.
Perkins joined with architect John Leonard Hamilton in 1905, forming the firm of Perkins & Hamilton. The firm moved into a new four-story studio and office designed by Perkins in 1907, directly across from the old Water Tower, in what was then an artist enclave known as "Towertown" (the studio is a designated Chicago landmark). Hamilton graduated from the Chicago Manual Training School in 1895 and, like Perkins, entered the offices of D. H. Burnham & Co. He later joined the architectural department of the Board of Education under
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the direction of board architect Normond Smith Patton, and then entered the offices of Frost & Granger, before joining Perkins. That same year Perkins was appointed architect to the Board of Education, a position which allowed him to apply and develop his social and aesthetic ideas toward the improvement of education. Perkins's school board team included a young John C. Christianson, who later became the school board architect.
Perkins led the design of many of the firm's works between 1905 and 1910, while also serving as school board architect. Several commissions involved the design of field houses and other practical structures for the very parks that he had helped create; the Hamlin and Seward Park fieldhouses were completed during this time. These new park structures allowed Perkins to apply his ideas for improving the city. The buildings emphasize Perkins's particular Prairie School style of architecture in form, and promoted social services and enhancements that reflected the rising progressive movement.
Some of the firm's more familiar park projects can be seen in Lincoln Park, which was improved substantially and extended during the 1910s. At the time, Bryan Lathrop, businessman and president of the Graceland Cemetery Association was part of the Lincoln Park Commission. He supported having parks be free of buildings, but recognized some structures were "necessary evils." Perkins & Hamilton designed the South Pond Refectory, now known as Cafe Brauer, in 1908 (a designated Chicago landmark). It occupies a prominent location on the South Pond and represents some of the firm's best work. Its brickwork, Rookwood tiles, and overall seamless unity with the surrounding landscape make it immediately recognizable as a refined creation of the Prairie School movement. Perkins & Hamilton, and after 1911 as Perkins, Fellows, and Hamilton with the addition of William Kinnie Fellows, the firm designed the boat house (1908), the American Institute of Architects gold-medal winning Lion House in Lincoln Park Zoo (1912, a designated Chicago landmark), the Fresh Air Sanitarium (1913, now the Theater on the Lake), North Pond Refectory (1913, occupied by North Pond Cafe), and even the familiar cast concrete lampposts that line the Lincoln Park's roadways (1911).
In 1910, Perkins's position as architect to the Board of Education came to an abrupt end as board members rallied to remove him on charges of incompetence, insubordination, and extravagance. Following a public hearing insisted upon by Perkins, the board found him guilty only on the charge of insubordination. Perkins's interest in the design of schools did not end with his dismissal from the Chicago Schools, instead, his firm continued to design dozens of schools, each with their own design advances, across Chicago's suburban communities and even across the Midwest. In, 1925, Perkins, who had become completely deaf, left his practice, but continued to serve on park and forest preserve boards.
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Criteria for Designation
According to the Municipal Code of Chicago (Sections 2-120-620 and -630), the Commission on Chicago Landmarks has the authority to make a preliminary recommendation of landmark designation for an area, district, place, building, structure, work of art or other object with the City of Chicago if the Commission determines it meets two or more of the stated "criteria for designation," as well as possesses a significant degree of historic integrity to convey its significance.
The following should be considered by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks in determining whether to recommend that the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building be designated as a Chicago Landmark.
Criterion 1: Critical Part of City's Heritage
Its value as an example of the architectural, cultural, economic, historical, social, or other aspect of the heritage of the Cily of Chicago, State of Illinois, or the United Stales.
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building reflects the importance of Chicago's public schools to the city's social and cultural history.
Public education has historically been one of the most important responsibilities of Chicago government, and public school buildings are visual and social anchors in the city's neighborhoods.
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building is designed with large windows for ample light and ventilation and a large playground that reflects the Progressive Era's desire to enhance the learning experience through architecture and design.
Criterion 4: Important Architecture
Its exemplification of an architectural type or style distinguished by innovation, rarity, uniqueness, or overall quality of design, detail, materials, or craftsmanship.
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building exemplifies the Prairie School of architecture, a historically-important and innovative style derived from the Midwest plains and developed by a circle of Chicago architects.
Innovative and rare aspects of the design of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building include its strong geometric massing and its use of alternating horizontal bands of light and dark colored brick that extends across vertical piers and window mullions.
The use of brick set in geometric patterns at the entrance entablature reveals a high level of craftsmanship in traditional masonry materials.
Criterion 5: Important Architect
Its identification as the work of an architect, designer, engineer, or builder whose individual work is significant in the history or development of the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, or the United States.
The original part of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building was designed by Dwight H. Perkins, a significant architect in the context of Chicago architecture.
As Architect for the Chicago Board of Education, Perkins designed more than 40 school buildings and additions to existing buildings, many of which are innovative in overall design and spatial planning.
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building through its handsomely-designed Prairie School exterior, is a fine and significant example of Perkins' efforts in progressive school architecture.
In private practice, Perkins designed many significant buildings in Chicago and elsewhere, including the South Pond Refectory (now Cafe Brauer) and the Lincoln Park Lion House, both Chicago Landmarks.
Perkins is significant in Chicago planning history as a strong advocate for Chicago parks and playgrounds and for the creation of the Forest Preserves of Cook County District.
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building also meets the additional requirements for designation outlined in the Chicago Public School Buildings, Pre-1940 Context Statement adopted by the Commission on April 4, 2019, which state the following:
The building must have been built as a Chicago Public School before 1940, though it need not currently function as a Chicago Public School.
The architectural style of the building must reflect at least one of the styles identified in the associated property descriptions in Part 2 of this Context Statement.
The design of the building must reflect the character defining features identified in Part 2 of this Context Statement with respect to site plan, plan configuration roof shape, fenestration, entrances and additions.
Additions built outside the period of significance (i.e. after 1940) must not overwhelm original designs.
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An archival photo of Trumbull (top, source: Courtesy of Bill Latoza) from the early-20th century and a current photo shows that the building possesses excellent integrity. The most prominent change is the removal of the pyramidal roofs over the towers.
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Integrity Criterion
It must have "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. "
Overall the building maintains a very high degree of integrity to its original design and appearance with only minor alterations. The most prominent change is the removal of the decorative pyramidal roofs over the corner towers. Some window openings, most notably at the east and west towers, have been infilled. The original windows have been replaced. These changes are common for schools of this vintage and they do not prevent the building from conveying its architectural and historic values.
Significant Historical and Architectural Features
Whenever a building, structure, object, or district is under consideration for landmark designation, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks is required to identify the "significant historical and architectural features" of the property. This is done to enable the owners and the public to understand which elements are considered the most important to preserve the historical and architectural character of the proposed landmark.
Based upon its preliminary evaluation of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building plaques, the Commission staff recommends that the significant features be identified as:
• All exterior elevations, including rooflines, of the building.
11
Selected Bibliography
Reports of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks:
Chicago Public School Buildings, Pre-1940 Context Statement (2019).
Carl Schurz High School (1978).
Graeme Stewart Public School Building (2016).
Books
Condit, Carl W. The Chicago School of Architecture: A History of Commercial and Public Building in the Chicago Area, 1875-1925. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1998.
American Institute of Architects, Alice Sinkevitch, Laurie McGovern Petersen, Perry Duis, and Geoffrey Baer. AIA Guide to Chicago. Urbana (111.): University of Illinois Press, 2014.
J
National Register Nomination
Andersonville Commercial Historic District (2010).
12
Acknowledgments city of chicago
Rahm Emanuel, Mayor
Department of Planning and Development
David Reifman, Commissioner
Eleanor Esser Gorski, Bureau Chief, Bureau of Planning, Historic Preservation and Sustainability
Project Staff
Matt Crawford, (project manager), writing, and layout
Kandalyn Hahn, writing
Valeria Cristina Velazquez, (intern), research
An early-20th century postcard view of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building anchoring the intersection of Foster and Ashland Avenues. Source: Courtesy of Bill Lafoza
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks, whose nine members are appointed by the Mayor and City Council, was established in 1968 by city ordinance. The Commission is responsible for recommending to the City Council that individual building, sites, objects, or entire districts be designated as Chicago Landmarks, which protects them by law. The Commission is staffed by the Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Planning, Historic Preservation & Sustainability Bureau, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street, Room 1006, Chicago, IL 60602; (312-744-3200) phone; web site: www.cilyofchicago.org/landmarks
This Preliminary Summary of Information is subject to possible revision and amendment during the designation process. Only language contained within the final landmark designation ordinance as approved by City Council should be regarded as final.
Exhibit C
Department ok Planning and Development
CITY OF CHICAGO
May 2, 2019
Report to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks On the
Former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building 5200 N. Ashland Avenue
The Department of Planning and Development (DPD) finds that the proposed landmark designation of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building supports the City's overall planning goals for the surrounding Edgewater Community Area and is consistent with the City's governing policies and plans.
The Former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building was built in 1908 and was used as a Chicago Public School for elementary grades until it closed in 2013. The building was reopened last fall as the Waldorf Andersonville School for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The building is listed as a contributing building to the Andersonville Commercial Historic District which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
The subject property is zoned RS-3 (Residential Single-Unit Detached House District) and surrounding land uses generally include low-density/single-family houses with some multi-unit and mixed use buildings. Both North Clark Street and West Foster Avenue are active commercial corridors in the immediate area.
DPD's recent planning for the broader area is consistent with the proposed landmark designation. Located several blocks west of the school is the Ravenswood Industrial Corridor (RIC). The RIC Framework was adopted by Chicago Plan Commission this past February and includes strategies that focus on supporting the changing needs of businesses and enhancing the historic building character. Finally, this area is well served by public transit, including the nearby Berwyn and Argyle CTA stations, which serve the Red line. The Red line is Chicago's busiest transit line and the CTA's Red-Purple Modernization Plan, includes the rebuilding of the Berwyn and Argyle Stations which will significantly improve ridership capacity in the area.
David L. R^ifman, Commissioner Department of Planning and Development
In conclusion, landmark designation of the Former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building supports the City's overall planning and economic development goals for Chicago's Edgewater community
121 NORTH LASAUE ST R Ii KT. ROOM 1000, CHICAGO. ILLINOIS 00602
Exhibit
Resolution by the
Commission on Chicago Landmarks on the
Expanded Preliminary Summary of Information for the
i
(FORMER) LYMAN TRUMBULL PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING
Including the Following Address Ranges:
5200-5224 N. Ashland Avenue (evens) 1600-1612 W. Foster Avenue (evens)
May 2, 2019
Whereas, on April 4, 2019, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks (the "Commission") adopted a resolution making the following preliminarily findings (the "Preliminary Findings"):
• The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building (the "Building"), located at the addresses noted above, meets three (3) criteria for landmark designation as set forth in Section 2-120-620 (1), (4) and (5) of the Municipal Code of Chicago (the "Municipal Code"), as specifically described in the Preliminary Summary of Information submitted to the Commission on the 4th day of April, 2019, 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; and
Whereas, the Commission wishes to reaffirm its Preliminary Findings, and further wishes to adopt the Expanded Preliminary Summary of Information submitted to the Commission on this 2nd day of May, 2019; 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 reaffirms its Preliminary Findings, adopts the Expanded Preliminary Summary, and reaffirms its 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 permit review, the significant historical and architectural features of the Building are preliminarily identified as:
• All exterior elevations, including rooflines, of the Building; and
|1010|the first floor auditorium and vestibule leading to it from the W. Foster Avenue entrance, as depicted and identified on Exhibit 1, attached hereto and incorporated herein; and
the four open stairwells at the perimeter of the auditorium from the first floor to the fourth floor skylights, as depicted and identified on Exhibit 1, attached hereto and incorporated herein.
This resolution was adopted
Rafael M. Leon, Chairman Commission on Chicago Landmarks
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West Foster Avenue
Exhibit
Expanded Summary of Information
Originally submitted to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks in April 2019, Expanded Summary submitted in May 2019
(Former) Lyman Trumbull Public School Building
5200-5224 N. Ashland Ave. /1600-1612 W. Foster Ave.
Department of Planning and Development David Rcifman, Commissioner
Table of Contents
Building Location Map|910|Building Description|910|Architect Dwight H. Perkins|910|Criteria for Designation 9
Significant Historical and
Architectural Features 11
Selected Bibliography 13
V
(Former) Lyman Trumbull Public School Building
5200-5224 N. Ashland Ave. / 1600-1612 W. Foster Ave.
Dates: 1908-1909 (original building)
1913 (north wing) Architects: Dwight H. Perkins (original building)
Arthur Hussander (north wing)
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building was designed by distinguished Chicago architect Dwight H. Perkins and completed in 1909. Perkins served as architect for the Chicago Board of Education from 1905 to 1910 and is regarded as one of the board's most progressive architects. Built as an elementary school, Trumbull is regarded as one of Perkins's most innovative designs for the Board of Education. With its lack of historical ornamentation, emphasis on simple brick materials, strong massing and a combination of vertical and horizontal emphases, the design of Trumbull exemplifies the Prairie School of architecture,
The building is listed as a contributing building in the Andersonville Commercial Historic District which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. In 1996, the Chicago Historic Resources Survey rated the building orange for its architectural and historical significance within its context of Edgewater and Andersonville. The building is also published in the AIA Guide to Chicago and Carl W. Condit's influential architectural history The Chicago School o/Architecture published in 1964.
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building is identified as a significant building in the Chicago Public School Bidldings, Pre-1940 Context Statement adopted by the Commission on April 4, 2019. The context statement narrates the history of Chicago Public Schools and the buildings associated with that institutions history, including Trumbull. The context statement establishes that Chicago Public School buildings may be considered for landmark designation if they meet Criterion 1 for heritage and Criterion 4 for architecture as well as the separate integrity criterion. The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building meets Criterion 1 as a tangible symbol of the social and educational reforms put forward by the Progressive Movement in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Trumbull also meets Criterion 4 as an innovative example of the Prairie School movement in architecture. Furthermore, the building was designed by Dwight H. Perkins, who meets Criterion 5 as a significant Chicago architect. For a more complete history of the architecture of the Chicago Public Schools and Dwight H. Perkins, the reader is advised to consult the Chicago Public School Braidings, Pre-1940|1010|JLX,
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The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building, shaded gray in the above map, is located at the northwest corner of Foster and Ashland Avenues in the Andersonville neighborhood within the larger Edgewater Community Area.
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Context Statement. The scope of this brief designation report is limited to a description of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building and a biography of Dwight H. Perkins.
The building ceased operating as a public elementary school in 2013 and was eventually sold to a private entity by the Public Building Commission (PBC) of Chicago. The PBC required future owners of the building to preserve it and to consent to Chicago Landmark Designation. The building currently houses the Chicago Waldorf School.
Building Description
Eschewing the conventional monotone, red-brick structures adorned with surface ornament embraced by his predecessors, Dwight H. Perkins brought public school architecture into a new era both inside and out. Having designed distinctly Prairie School-influenced schools such as the Graeme Stewart Elementary School, the Lyman Trumbull Elementary building on Chicago's North Side and its identical counterpart on the West Side, Tilton School, also exhibited the strong geometry and use of brickwork seen in Prairie School architecture but also incorporated the repeating rhythm of vertical piers characteristic of the Chicago School of architecture.
Given his background, it was no great surprise that Perkins would look to the no-nonsense, economics-driven design approach he had cut his teeth on at Burnham and Root when exhorted by the Chicago School Board President Alfred R. Urion to abandon what he termed as Perkins' "extravagant" designs in favor of a less expensive type to be replicated with greater efficiency. Urion called upon Perkins to create school buildings that embodied "simplicity and strength of construction...with beauty of outline, harmony of color, etc." Although the building the Board President espoused as a foremost example of a building in this vein was William Mundie's 1901 Libby School, what he got from Perkins was more like an austere factory building whose simplicity was meant to convey economy.
The stripped-down elevations of this four-story structure, more or less square in plan and later extended northward, gave it a monolithic character. Powerful, battered towers framing the primary entrance and initially establishing the northwest and northeast corners punctuate and rise above the horizontal dominance of the building's dimensions. Perhaps most striking was the use of alternating colors of brick which broke up large fields of masonry and created a rhythmic language which visually connected all elevations of the structure.
The primary elevation at Foster Avenue has the feel of a temple facade with solid walls at either end and a central entry pavilion framed by projecting towers separated by an architrave. The architrave is ornamented with brick masonry set in diamond and rectangular patterns. Terra cotta in a matching color scheme frames the architrave and is used as banding at the top of piers. Pyramidal roofs on the towers and a central pediment included in the structure originally but now missing would have further emphasized the verticality and symmetry drawing focus to the entry. The tapering verticals of the towers are repeated in the limestone window and door surrounds. Bay windows are set into the base of each tower and single windows punctuate the upper floors with decorative masonry used for spandrels and as a frame around the windows.|1010|
The design of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building relies on bold, geometric massing in lieu of traditional architectural ornamentation; the color scheme consists of two-tone brick set in horizontal bands (top). The entrance pavilion (lower left) is framed by projecting towers and surmounted by an entablature with brick set in a geometric pattern. The fagade is articulated by deep vertical piers (lower right).
Tall, segmented windows above the three double entry doors are separated by thin vertical piers. Limestone coping tops the towers here and at the other elevations with the remainder of the structure topped by terra cotta coping.
Bedford stone wraps the base of the structure and is topped by light tan brick along the first floor. Continuous light tan brick is also employed at the top of the structure to create a subtle, flush cornice and at corners to frame each elevation. Polychromatic piers divide primary elevations into grids. Within each block of the grid, five tall windows are recessed and separated by vertical piers. Terra cotta headers and sills frame these and all windows on the structure. Brick spandrel panels are set below the second and third floor windows. Between the third and fourth floors, continuous flush bands create a stronger horizontal to visually separate the upper portion of the building. Simple, large, terra cotta scuppers are installed above the interior polychromatic piers. Stone banding above the first floor and continuous terra cotta headers above the fourth floor windows extends down across the top of each pier, creating a subtle, shared vocabulary.
Ground floor auditoria were an important interior feature of architect Dwight Perkins's school designs. He designed these spaces to be used after school hours by neighborhood residents for cultural programs, adding utility to the school building beyond the school day. The auditorium at Trumbull is located just inside the entrance doors on W. Foster Avenue. Inside these doors there is an entrance vestibule with an arched plaster ceiling pierced with bull's eye openings that draw in natural light from the transom windows over the entrance doors. The walls of the vestibule are clad in a field of beige glazed brick with olive glazed brick accents, a wall finish that continues into the auditorium. The'360-seat auditorium features a domed ceiling which was originally pieced with skylights though these windows have been covered and the openings plastered over. A raised stage topped with an arched proscenium are the focal point of the space.
Ample lighting and the use of skylights were another feature of Perkins's designs and skylights do survive over four open stairwells that serve the classroom floors of the building just outside the auditorium. These skylit stairwells feature glazed brick wainscoting, cast-iron carriages and newel posts and wrought-iron balusters. The treads and risers are a painted cementitious material
Construction of the building began in October 1908 and the school opened in September 1909. It was dedicated in April 1910 when it was named for Lyman Trumbull, a Civil War Era U.S. Senator who supported the abolition of slavery.
Board of Education architect Arthur Hussander oversaw construction of a wing which was built in 1913 extending the east elevation northward and mirroring the design of the existing structure. This wing was part of Perkins' original design and it was meant to respond to the school system's seemingly perpetual need to respond to localized growth of student populations. Although a second wing at the west elevation was also shown in architectural plans, it was never built.
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Ground-auditoria were an important part of Dwight Perkin's school designs as he felt these space could be used by neighborhood residents for cultural events, thus maximizing the utility of the school building after school hours. The auditorium at Trumbull features a domed ceiling with pendentives framing the balcony.
Skylights are another element that are characteristic of Perkins's schools, and they survive at four open stairwells at Trumbull.
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Architect Dwight H. Perkins
DWIGHT HEALO PKRK1NS
Portrait of Dwight H. Perkins (from Brickbuilder, June 1915)
Dwight H. Perkins (1867 - 1941) is significant to Chicago's architectural, social, and planning history for his dedication to the city's welfare and for his architectural work during the rise of the Prairie School. Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1867, Perkins moved with his family to Chicago at age twelve. Before completing high school, the death of his father forced him to find employment to help support his family. He took a position at the Chicago Stockyards before entering the office of architect Frederick R. Schock. With the help of family friend Mrs. Charles Hitchcock, Perkins enrolled in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's architecture program. Afterward he remained in Boston as a university instructor and as an assistant in office of architect Henry Hobson Richardson.
Perkins returned to Chicago in 1888 and worked briefly with Wheelock & Clay before becoming John Wellborn Root's assistant at Burnham & Root. Following Root's death in 1891, and while Daniel Burnham was involved in organizing and designing the fair grounds for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, Perkins became the manager of the firm's tremendous project schedule. Before leaving the firm, Perkins completed several of Root's last commissions, and some of Chicago's most recognized Chicago School buildings including the Monadnock Block (a designated Chicago landmark).
Perkins started his own firm in early 1894, following a commission from the Steinway Piano Company for a new 11-story office tower and recital hall (completed 1896, demolished). The design of the Steinway Building reflected to the Beaux Arts Classicism made popular by Burnham and his plan for the 1893 fair. When the Steinway Building was completed, Perkins took offices in the building and established there a collaborative studio space in the attic that became an important center in the development of the Prairie School of architecture, an original form of American architecture inspired by the Midwest prairie. Irving and Allen Pond, Robert Spencer, Perkin's cousin Marion Mahony, and Walter Burley Griffin all collaborated in Perkins's new studio space; Frank Lloyd Wright opened his first office in the building.
The civic and social responsibilities of architecture to the city were the focus of Perkins's practice. Perkins's progressive attitude and sense for how architecture could serve as the framework for social improvement developed from an early age. His mother, Marion Perkins, was involved in social reform and was an associate of Jane Addams, founder of the Hull House Settlement. The need for new supportive centers for poorer immigrant and working-class communities led Perkins to collaborate with and design settlement houses for both the University of Chicago and Northwestern University; only the University of Chicago settlement house was completed (demolished).
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During the 1890s, a new type of study that mapped social problems in the city identified geographic disparities experienced between poor and more affluent neighborhoods as potential sources for certain social and health issues in poorer neighborhoods. In 1903, Perkins and landscape architect Jens Jensen published a report for the Special Parks Commission that detailed the needs for open space in the city. The report called for the consolidation of Chicago's many park commissions, and outlined a proposal for the addition of dozens of small, but accessible, neighborhood parks and playgrounds as breathing spaces across the city. These parks would open congested neighborhoods and improve the health and wellbeing of residents -especially children. By 1907, the creation of dozens of new parks brought green space, recreation facilities, baths, and social services to many Chicago neighborhoods. Perkins continued to promote an even greater series of parks by advocating for the creation of the forest preserves that today ring Chicago's western boundaries; a section of preserve in Evanston was named in his honor.
Perkins joined with architect John Leonard Hamilton in 1905, forming the firm of Perkins & Hamilton. The firm moved into a new four-story studio and office designed by Perkins in 1907, directly across from the old Water Tower, in what was then an artist enclave known as "Towertown" (the studio is a designated Chicago landmark). Hamilton graduated from the Chicago Manual Training School in 1895 and, like Perkins, entered the offices of D. H. Burnham & Co. He later joined the architectural department of the Board of Education under the direction of board architect Normond Smith Patton, and then entered the offices of Frost & Granger, before joining Perkins. That same year Perkins was appointed architect to the Board of Education, a position which allowed him to apply and develop his social and aesthetic ideas toward the improvement of education. Perkins's school board team included a young John C. Christianson, who later became the school board architect.
Perkins led the design of many of the firm's works between 1905 and 1910, while also serving as school board architect. Several commissions involved the design of field houses and other practical structures for the very parks that he had helped create; the Hamlin and Seward Park fieldhouses were completed during this time. These new park structures allowed Perkins to apply his ideas for improving the city. The buildings emphasize Perkins's particular Prairie School style of architecture in form, and promoted social services and enhancements that reflected the rising progressive movement.
Some of the firm's more familiar park projects can be seen in Lincoln Park, which was improved substantially and extended during the 1910s. At the time, Bryan Lathrop, businessman and president of the Graceland Cemetery Association was part of the L incoln Park Commission. He supported having parks be free of buildings, but recognized some structures were "necessary evils." Perkins & Hamilton designed the South Pond Refectory, now known as Cafe Brauer, in 1908 (a designated Chicago landmark). It occupies a prominent location on the South Pond and represents some of the firm's best work. Its brickwork, Rookwood tiles, and overall seamless unity with the surrounding landscape make it immediately recognizable as a refined creation of the Prairie School movement. Perkins & Hamilton, and after 1911 as Perkins, Fellows, and Hamilton with the addition of William Kinnie Fellows, the firm designed the boat house (1908), the American Institute of Architects gold-medal winning Lion House in
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Lincoln Park Zoo (1912, a designated Chicago landmark), the Fresh Air Sanitarium (1913, now the Theater on the Lake), North Pond Refectory (1913, occupied by North Pond Cafe), and even the familiar cast concrete lampposts that line the Lincoln Park's roadways (1911).
In 1910, Perkins's position as architect to the Board of Education came to an abrupt end as board members rallied to remove him on charges of incompetence, insubordination, and extravagance. Following a public hearing insisted upon by Perkins, the board found him guilty only on the charge of insubordination. Perkins's interest in the design of schools did not end with his dismissal from the Chicago Schools, instead, his firm continued to design dozens of schools, each with their own design advances, across Chicago's suburban communities and even across the Midwest. In, 1925, Perkins, who had become completely deaf, left his practice, but continued to serve on park and forest preserve boards.
Criteria for Designation
According to the Municipal Code of Chicago (Sections 2-120-620 and -630), the Commission on Chicago Landmarks has the authority to make a preliminary recommendation of landmark designation for an area, district, place, building, structure, work of art or other object with the City of Chicago if the Commission determines it meets two or more of the stated "criteria for designation," as well as possesses a significant degree of historic integrity to convey its significance.
The following should be considered by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks in determining whether to recommend that the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building be designated as a Chicago Landmark.
Criterion 1: Critical Part of City's Heritage
Its value as an example of the architectural, cultural, economic, historical, social, or other aspect of the heritage of the City of Chicago, State of Illinois, or the United States.
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building reflects the importance of Chicago's public schools to the city's social and cultural history.
Public education has historically been one of the most important responsibilities of Chicago government, and public school buildings are visual and social anchors in the city's neighborhoods.
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building is designed with large windows for ample light and ventilation and a large playground that reflects the Progressive Era's desire to enhance the learning experience through architecture and design.
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Criterion 4: Important Architecture
Its exemplification of an architectural type or style distinguished by innovation, rarity, uniqueness, or overall quality of design, detail, materials, or craftsmanship.
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building exemplifies the Prairie School of architecture, a historically-important and innovative style derived from the Midwest plains and developed by a circle of Chicago architects.
Innovative and rare aspects of the design of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building include its strong geometric massing and its use of alternating horizontal bands of light and dark colored brick that extends across vertical piers and window mullions.
The use of brick set in geometric patterns at the entrance entablature reveals a high level of craftsmanship in traditional masonry materials.
Criterion 5: Important Architect
Its identification as the work of an architect, designer, engineer, or builder whose individual work is significant in the history or development of the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, or the United States.
The original part of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building was designed by Dwight H. Perkins, a significant architect in the context of Chicago architecture.
As Architect for the Chicago Board of Education, Perkins designed more than 40 school buildings and additions to existing buildings, many of which are innovative in overall design and spatial planning.
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building through its handsomely-designed Prairie School exterior, is a fine and significant example of Perkins' efforts in progressive school architecture.
In private practice, Perkins designed many significant buildings in Chicago and elsewhere, including the South Pond Refectory (now Cafe Brauer) and the Lincoln Park Lion House, both Chicago Landmarks.
Perkins is significant in Chicago planning history as a strong advocate for Chicago parks and playgrounds and for the creation of the Forest Preserves of Cook County District.
The former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building also meets the additional requirements for designation outlined in the Chicago Public School Buildings, Pre-1940 Context Statement adopted by the Commission on April 4, 2019, which state the following:
10
The building must have been built as a Chicago Public School before 1940, though it need not currently function as a Chicago Public School.
The architectural style of the building must reflect at least one of the styles identified in the associated property descriptions in Part 2 of this Context Statement.
The design of the building must reflect the character defining features identified in Part 2 of this Context Statement with respect to site plan, plan configuration roof shape, fenestration, entrances and additions.
Additions built outside the period of significance (i.e. after 1940) must not overwhelm original designs.
Integrity Criterion
It must have "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. "
Overall the building maintains a very high degree of integrity to its original design and appearance with only minor alterations. The most prominent change is the removal of the decorative pyramidal roofs over the corner towers. Some window openings, most notably at the east and west towers, have been infilled. The original windows have been replaced. These changes are common for schools of this vintage and they do not prevent the building from conveying its architectural and historic values.
Significant Historical and Architectural Features
Whenever a building, structure, object, or district is under consideration for landmark designation, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks is required to identify the "significant historical and architectural features" of the property. This is done to enable the owners and the public to understand which elements are considered the most important to preserve the historical and architectural character of the proposed landmark.
Based upon its preliminary evaluation of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building, the Commission staff recommends that the significant features be identified as:
All exterior elevations, including rooflines, of the building; and
the first floor auditorium and vestibule leading to it from the W. Foster Avenue entrance; and
the four open stairwells at the perimeter of the auditorium from the first floor to the fourth floor skylights.
11
An archival photo of Trumbull (top, source: Courtesy of Bill Latoza) from the early-20th century and a current photo shows that the building possesses excellent integrity. The most prominent . change is the removal of the pyramidal roofs over the towers.
12
Selected Bibliography
Reports of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks:
Chicago Public School Buildings, Pre-1940 Context Statement (2019).
Carl Schurz High School (1978).
Graeme Stewart Public School Building (2016).
Books
Condit, Carl W. The Chicago School of Architecture: A History of Commercial and Public Building in the Chicago Area, 1875-1925. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1998.
American Institute of Architects, Alice Sinkevitch, Laurie McGovern Petersen, Perry Duis, and Geoffrey Baer. AIA Guide lo Chicago. Urbana (III.): University of Illinois Press, 2014.
National Register Nomination
Andersonville Commercial Historic District (2010).
Acknowledgments city of chicago
Rahm Emanuel, Mayor
Department of Planning and Development
David Reifman, Commissioner
Eleanor Esser Gorski, Bureau Chief, Bureau of Planning, Historic Preservation and Sustainability
Project Staff
Matt Crawford, (project manager), writing, and layout Kandalyn Hahn, writing
Valeria Cristina Velazquez, (intern), research, photography
An early-20th century postcard view of the former Lyman Trumbull Public School Building anchoring the intersection of Foster and Ashland Avenues. Source: Courtesy of Bill Latoza
. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks, whose nine members are appointed by the Mayor and City Council, was established in 1968 by city ordinance. The Commission is responsible for recommending to the City Council that individual building, sites, objects, or entire districts be designated as Chicago Landmarks, which protects them by law. The Commission is staffed by ihe Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Planning, Historic Preservation & Sustainability Bureau, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street, Room 1006, Chicago, IL 60602; (312-744-3200) phone; web site: www.cityofchicago.org/landmarks
This Preliminary Summary of Information is subject to possible revision and amendment during the designation process. Only language contained within the final landmark designation ordinance as approved by City Council should be regarded as final.
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West Foster Avenue