By Ronnie Reese
Special to Inside
A meeting on landmark designation was held by the Park West Association and Ald. Vi Daley's (43rd) office at Alcott School, 2625 N. Orchard St., last Thursday, Jan. 20. Led by Brian Goeken, Deputy Commissioner of Landmarks for the City of Chicago, the discussion addressed the efforts of the Arlington-Deming Neighbors, a group organized in July of 2004 to work within the community to inform owners about preservation and the architecture of their homes.
The Arlington-Deming Neighbors sponsored a public forum last September to discuss the future of the district's Arlington House building and landmarking for the area bounded by the four-block section of Fullerton/Orchard/Deming/Clark. Much of the area in question was pre-identified and mapped for landmark status in 1996 by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, and the group is currently moving throughout the neighborhood and gauging owner sentiment on the issue.
Many residents believe that a landmark designation will increase tourism in the area and have a positive effect on the value of their property. It is also an important means of preserving historic structures that are seen as vital to the history and character of the neighborhood. Colleen Day, whose home on West Fullerton dates back to 1876, is an ardent supporter of landmarking. "When you buy a house here, one of the primary attractions is the way the area feels and looks," said Day. "We are a neighborhood, and people are very protective of that. Most of us want to see it stay the way it has been for the past 100+ years."
Others in the district are wary of restrictions that landmark status imposes on them and on potential changes to their homes, and do not wish to have to ask the City for permission to make alterations. There is also the belief that the rise in property tax will cause those who can no longer afford to live in the area to move. "People have the right to be left alone," said one resident, suggesting that landmarking may result in the surrender of individual rights, an unpopular sentiment, but still a justifiable concern.
To date, Arlington-Deming Neighbors have reached the owners of 84 properties within the district. Fifty-six owners have responded in favor of landmark status, with 13 opposed and the remaining either undecided, yet to respond or not taking a position. A total of 114 property owners have currently signed in support of landmarking.
"Landmarking doesn't necessarily do away with bad taste," remarks North Orchard homeowner Al Brody, noting that landmark status won't stem the tide of unattractive structures going up in the area. What landmarking may do, however, is strengthen the bond among residents still hurting from the neighborhood's first teardown, last summer's demolition of historic Geneva Cottage. It was the destruction of Geneva Cottage that led, in part, to the formation of Arlington-Deming Neighbors, which now works to protect similar buildings.
"People worry about not what the community is like now, but what it will be like in 50-60 years," longtime resident Jane Curry revealed. Many of her neighbors agree. "We have to sacrifice for the public good," said Benson Farb, a University of Chicago professor who has lived in the area for close to three years. "People in the neighborhood have the best interest of the neighborhood at heart," he continued. "If we sacrifice a little right now, it may be best for all of us in the long run. That's what's important." |
