Our office is exploring a potential landmark district in the western portion of the ward, with boundaries (see image) of the alley south of Addison, the alley north of Roscoe, Racine Avenue, and the alley east of Southport.

This effort originally began at the request of residents on the 1300 block of Newport, which features a strong concentration of historic greystone and brick flat buildings, and we have since engaged the City’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to study the broader area for landmark eligibility.

Before any landmark designation moves forward, we will conduct a community engagement process to determine whether there is significant support from homeowners within the proposed district. To RSVP for the first community meeting about this project on Wednesday, January 14th, click here. Read an FAQs for landmark homeowners here and general info about landmark status here.

Based on initial research, buildings likely to be considered contributing to a district would primarily reflect the area’s historic development as housing for working-class families, particularly German immigrants, and feature 2- and 3-story brick flats and apartment buildings, often clad in limestone or brick, designed in a Neoclassical style. Read more about this project in a presentation from DPD here (particularly page 7 for examples of this architecture beyond Newport).