Three endangered historic sites can be found in local communities 

By Lisa R. Jenkins 

Preservation Chicago recently announced this year's Chicago Seven—the city’s seven most endangered historic buildings and areas.

            Three are in the Gazette area: the historic strip of Archer Avenue from 2700 to 3100 S. Archer; the Wicker Park Commercial District on Milwaukee Avenue at Division Street; and the Pilgrim Baptist Church at 3301 S. Indiana Ave.

Preservation Chicago’s board members and other concerned advisors chose the 2007 Chicago Seven from a modest list of endangered buildings and areas. Preservation Chicago advocates for preserving the city’s historic architecture through activism, research, policy recommendations, and neighborhood outreach.

Known as the oldest part of Bridgeport and named after Colonel William Archer, Archer Avenue still includes architectural structures from the 1800s. This stretch of road once was an Indian trail that came to be known as Brown's Road. Activity increased dramatically in the 1830s when workers begin constructing the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Irish and German immigrants began arriving in the 1840s and settled along the diagonal thoroughfare.

Lumber yards, steel mills, and the Union Stockyards made Bridgeport a key place of employment during the 19th century. Between the 1880s and 1890s, Bridgeport’s stretch of Archer saw construction of large buildings as well as bakeries, funeral parlors, boot stores, livery businesses, grocery stores, and every other business a booming residential community would need.

This growth lasted until the mid-1950s when construction of the Stevenson Expressway took traffic away from Archer; the roadway saw almost no new building until recently.

The current threat against Archer Avenue is a new wave of residential and commercial development that is destroying historic facades and compromising the historic streetscape. Alderman James Balcer wants to preserve the neighborhood’s older sites to “tell people of all ages the colorful history of the early Bridgeport,” he said.

Also used as an Indian trail as well as an early toll road was Milwaukee Avenue, which holds the Wicker Park Commercial District in West Town. This district contains 50 structures that have over the years earned Chicago Historic Resources Survey recognition.

Milwaukee Avenue made major contributions to Chicago’s establishment and evolution. Native Americans and early settlers used this road to travel into the heart of the city to sell their goods and services.

The Wicker Park District reflects its Norwegian and German origins and the influence of Jewish and Polish immigrants who followed in several significant structures dating to the 1800s.

The district had been vulnerable because it remained largely unprotected by landmark status and was at risk for demolitions until just last monthy. Only the area's residential sections received Chicago Landmark status in 1991, and only a portion of the Milwaukee commercial strip was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

However, in May, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks awarded preliminary landmark status to the Milwaukee Avenue District. The landmark status covers the 1200 through 1600 blocks of Milwaukee; the 1500 block of north Damen Avenue, and the 1900 and 2000 blocks of west North Avenue.

Preservation Chicago had recommended that Milwaukee Avenue from the intersection at Division Street and Ashland Avenue through the intersection at Damen and North Avenues be given Chicago Landmark status so the strip can continue to provide a unique experience of historic European and contemporary influences to residents and visitors. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks closely followed Preservation Chicago's recommendation.

"This district is a snapshot in time, documenting the development of a neighborhood over a 50-year period," said landmarks commission Chair David Mosena. "It represents the growth of the community and its relationship to the growth of our city."

The Chicago Seven location that received the most media attention in the past year is Pilgrim Baptist Church in Bronzeville. Built as a synagogue 115 years ago by Louis H. Sullivan and partner Dankmar Allen, two of the world’s most revered and influential architects, it became home to Pilgrim Baptist Church in 1922. The church was devastated by a fire on Jan. 6, 2006.

Pilgrim Baptist offered a welcoming beacon during the Great Migration of African-Americans from the South to the North in the early 20th century. During that time Bronzeville blossomed as a business, cultural, and social center for middle-class Blacks, and the area became known for jazz, blues, and gospel music.

In the 1950s and 1960s the neighborhood began to decline, and church membership dwindled as well. To preserve the church, Pilgrim Baptist gained its historic landmark status in 1981.

Since the fire, only the outer four walls still stand. In February 2006, structural engineers Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. studied the walls and determined that what remained was structurally sound. The firm is optimistic Pilgrim Baptist can be restored.

A Preservation Chicago spokesperson stated, “We encourage the preservation of the exterior walls and their incorporation in any future structure. We also urge the City to monitor repairs to all historic buildings more closely so that fires (the cause of this destruction) do not occur in the future.”