Chicago Daily Observer

In 2005 a proposal for a new condo tower in the landmarked Jewelers Row District on Wabash came before the Commission on Chicago Landmarks. The plan for the Legacy allowed the developers to demolish everything but the facades of three 19th-century buildings, one of which had once housed the flagship store of booksellers Kroch’s & Brentano’s. I wrote in the Reader in favor of the project, rejecting preservationists’ “slippery slope” arguments that it would set a dangerous precedent.

I was wrong. Three years later, even as the commission is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Chicago’s landmark ordinance, the true legacy of the Legacy has become clear: not only does the commission continue to leave many of Chicago’s most famous buildings in danger, it’s also eviscerating the very concept of what a landmark is.

In something of a surprise, the Chicago Plan Commission had a rare show of independence last Thursday when it rejected a Chicago Department of Planning Development-backed proposal, that would have seen the embattled Congress Hotel add five stories above the Harrison Street side of the structure, and one story above the part along the landmarked Michigan Avenue street wall.

Why is the Grant Park Advisory Council so eager to let the Chicago Children’s Museum move in?

Bob O’Neill, president of the Grant Park Advisory Council, jokes that his usual response to citizens concerned about new construction in the park is this: “Well, they’re actually out there building it right now, but thanks for the public input.”

It’s funny, as Homer Simpson would say, because it’s true.