February 1, 2007

Fire rekindles spirit of closeness at Pilgrim

A year after a blaze gutted the historic Bronzeville church, members now worship in the community center and say the tragedy has forged tighter bonds

By Emily Stone
Special to the Tribune
Published January 26, 2007

The worshipers at last Sunday's Pilgrim Baptist Church service prayed and sang in a room lit by fluorescent tubes, with one small window and the type of beige floor tiles common in hospitals and schoolrooms.

Thirteen months ago, they sat in rich, wooden pews in a room swathed in red carpeting and accented with colorful murals that were lit by the sun streaming through stained-glass windows. This 115-year-old space was lost when a fire gutted the congregation's historic Bronzeville church last January, so the services are now held in the church's community center across the street.

The change of location may have affected the look of the service, but not its substance, said Mark Reed, a third-generation member and a church deacon.

"It doesn't feel any different, because the Holy Spirit is in this room," said Reed, 42.

Reed and other members say that while the fire was devastating, it hasn't changed what it's like to worship at Pilgrim Baptist Church. The church is the people and their connection to God, they said, not a building. They believe the fire was part of God's plan, and if anything, it has strengthened the congregation, not hurt it.

Membership has grown since the fire, according to Cynthia Jones, vice chairman of the board of trustees. She attributed the increase to a feeling of closeness born of sharing a tragic experience and to hiring a new pastor earlier this month. At the time of the fire, the congregation had been without a pastor for six months.

Rev. Keith Gordon, the new senior pastor, said he chose Pilgrim Baptist Church over other offers in part because of the challenge of leading this congregation.

"I knew specifically that this church was in need," he said from his office overlooking the church's remaining exterior walls, with English and Hebrew inscriptions intact over the door.

Membership, which once numbered 1,200, had shrunk to about 200 at the time of the fire, Gordon said. There are now about 350 members, he said, including people new to the church and former members who have returned.

Eric Banks, 31, recently came back after many years of not attending services. On Sunday he reminisced with his mother and uncle about growing up in the church, making friends there and the beauty of the windows. His return to church was fueled mostly by a growing desire to be closer to God, he said. But the fire lent a "sense of urgency."

Many members said the fire brought them closer together--and they mean this both figuratively and literally. Going through a tragedy together reinforced their resolve to be active members, they said. It has also forced them to sit closer together on Sundays.

In the old building, 200 or 300 people could be distant from one another in a hall that seated about 1,000. Now, those people nearly fill the community center's chairs. In the old building, people tended to gravitate toward the same pews to sit with familiar faces. The move has dissolved this de facto seating plan, and regular churchgoers said they've gotten to know more members.

The church was built in 1891 at the corner of Indiana Avenue and 33rd Street by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler; it originally served as a synagogue. Pilgrim Baptist Church took over the building in 1922, and it became a cornerstone of Chicago's African-American community as well as the birthplace of gospel music.

The 10,500-square-foot building was destroyed when workers repairing the roof accidentally set it on fire. Church leaders, who are working with private and public benefactors to raise money to rebuild the church, recently chose architects to lead the project.

The four exterior walls, all that remain of the building, sit buttressed by braces across the street from the community center. Frank Warren, president of the church choir and a member for about six years, said that for the first three months after the fire, he was deeply saddened every time he passed the building's shell on the way to services.

"It was like having a loss of a loved one," he said, and described the spot as akin to a "gravesite."

But the more time passed, the more he focused on what was happening in the congregation and not what had occurred across the street.

"The edifice has burned down, but the fire is in here," said Warren, 37, tapping his hand on his chest.

The choir is operating as it was before, he said, with the only change being the more modern instruments available in the community center, including a donated organ on loan for as long as needed.

None of the church programs or ministries had to be canceled or put on hold because of the fire, Jones said.

The services were moved immediately to the community center, which had been used for a variety of purposes, such as children's programs and social events.

Gordon said people have been humbled by the loss of their building and that it has refocused their attention in a positive way.

The lesson, he said, is: "My church is great. My God is greater."

Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

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Chicago Suntimes
Pilgrim Baptist gets push from Daley
Not much progress made on church since fire

January 16, 2007

BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter

Mayor Daley agreed Monday to chair a fund-raiser to jump-start the rebuilding of fire-ravaged Pilgrim Baptist Church, the birthplace of gospel music and the "pulse of the African-American community."
Little apparent progress has been made one year after roofers working with a blowtorch accidentally sparked the fire that destroyed a piece of Chicago history.

Yellow scaffolding still secures the storied limestone walls that survived the fire. Only $500,000 of the $10 million-plus needed to rebuild has been raised, half of it a matching grant from the Pritzker Family Foundation.

A $1 million state grant offered by Gov. Blagojevich to help rebuild non-church portions of the building -- which came under fire from the American Civil Liberties Union as a possible violation of the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state -- remains a political promise. Church leaders have yet to fill out the paperwork for the state grant.

On Monday, the campaign to rebuild a church that served as a religious and musical mecca for blacks got a series of boosts.

Johnson & Lee Ltd., the Chicago-based architectural firm chosen to preside over the reconstruction project, said it would begin by launching a master plan to determine Pilgrim Baptist's future needs.

Church leaders introduced their new pastor, the Rev. Keith Gordon, who hopes to rebuild a congregation.

And Daley agreed to chair a fund-raiser to raise the money to rebuild Pilgrim Baptist.

"There's always a separation of church and state. But at the same time, architecturally, this is a great, historical building. ... It's really important to preserve the past," the mayor told a news conference at the Pilgrim Baptist community center, 3300 S. Indiana.

"This was the pulse of the African-American community. This is where it was, right here in Bronzeville. If you listen to anybody about the history of the African-American community, it was right here at 33rd and Indiana -- not only political events, all types of issues that confronted the African-American community. . .. This is where the heartbeat was for many, many years. .. . In rebuilding a church, they're rebuilding the souls of another generation -- and never forgetting the past."

fspielman@suntimes.com

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Pilgrim Baptist Church plans rebirth

By Josh Noel
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 12, 2007, 9:24 PM CST

Pilgrim Baptist Church has chosen a local architect and a renowned Michigan firm to rebuild its fabled South Side home that was ravaged by fire a year ago.

Deacon Robert Vaughn said Friday that the church has settled on Chicago-based Johnson & Lee Ltd., which will be working with Quinn Evans of Ann Arbor, Mich.

More details of the project will be announced Monday.

Workers reroofing Pilgrim Baptist set the historic Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan building ablaze in January 2005 while working with a torch. All that remains are the four walls. Last month, Pilgrim Baptist said more than $750,000 has been raised or pledged to rebuilding the church at 33rd Street and Indiana Avenue, a project expected to cost millions.

Preservationists applauded the selection of the architectural firms.

"It is a wonderful team that's been put together with a local architect and a very well-known, well-respected, nationally known architect," said David Bahlman, president of Landmarks Illinois. "The right players are involved."

Both companies have worked on religious structures before. Johnson & Lee has worked on dozens of buildings in Chicago, including homes, offices and theaters. Quinn Evans has worked on projects including the renovation of the concert hall in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

Experts said the rehabilitation could take years to complete, but that the church could reopen after a partial renovation. Additional work could still be done in the future.

"It will take a heroic effort to carry out the restoration," said Tim Samuelson, a cultural historian with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, who sat in on the presentations from three finalists. "It's still a big job."

jbnoel@tribune.com

Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

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Daley to lend hand rebuilding church
2006 fire ravaged Sullivan-Adler site

By Azam Ahmed
Tribune staff reporter
Published January 16, 2007

Mayor Richard Daley pledged Monday to chair a fundraising effort to reconstruct a fire-ravaged historic South Side church known as the birthplace of gospel music and built by renowned architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler.

Funding could remain a major challenge for Pilgrim Baptist Church, which has raised less than $250,000 so far in private donations, according to Robert Vaughn, chairman of the church's Trustee Ministry. In addition, the Pritzker Foundation has offered up to $500,000 in matching funds, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich has promised $1 million in state money.

The church, built in 1891, has selected Johnson and Lee Architects along with Quinn Evans Architects to reconstruct the building at 3301 S. Indiana Ave. The church was accidentally set afire by the torches of workers repairing the roof in January 2006.

"We're not just rebuilding the walls of a church, but the souls of a generation," Daley said.

Though contributions to date are far short of a final price tag that could easily exceed $10 million, the mayor said that the strongest push for donations and funding will come after the master plan for reconstruction is unveiled by the architects.

"It's much easier [to donate] when you see it," Daley said. When the master plan is finished, "major fundraising will take place in this city and throughout the country."

Frank Christopher Lee, head architect on the project, expects the final plan to be ready in about six months. The aesthetic direction of the reconstruction is still very much under discussion, and the result could range "from replication (of the original building) to doing something unexpected, but really nice," he said.

Chicago-based Johnson & Lee Architects has worked on a number of projects on the South Side, including designs for mixed-income housing developments to replace demolished public housing complexes.

Pilgrim Baptist's heritage spans more than 115 years, from its beginning as a synagogue to its transformation to an African-American church where gospel music was born.

Lee said the rebuilding was made more complex by the architectural legacy of the church.

"It is very daunting, and I want to be very respectful of Sullivan and Adler's work," Lee said. "We're trying to address an 1890s structure and the (concept) of modern ministries."

Another issue to be considered is whether the church will need to be as large as the original. The congregation has shrunk from 1,200 members at its peak to about 350 now, he said.

The most expensive--and extreme--option would be to replicate the old Sullivan building, which Lee said would cost "well over $10 million" and would retain current seating capacity. Other options are to build something smaller to fit within the 50-foot walls of the structure's skeleton, he said.

After the building burned down last year, Blagojevich pledged money for the reconstruction, a move that sparked questions over why the state was supporting a religious institution.

To address those concerns, Lee said the structure, once the home of gospel creator Thomas Dorsey, could house a museum dedicated to the faith-based music.

"We will have to carve out something that is not ecclesiastical. We have to separate church and state," Lee said.

Community members are eager to see the new plan unveiled and are hoping for a much-needed influx of money.

"Once you understand what the dream is, it's easier to raise funding," said Leonard McGee, president of the Gap Community Organization, which operates in the neighborhood.

aahmed@tribune.com

Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

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PILGRIM BAPTIST CHURCH

For Immediate Release Contact: Kevin Lampe
Monday January 15, 2007 (312) 464-0260 or (312) 617-7280 cell

Pilgrim Baptist Church Introduces New Pastor

Architect Announced to Guide Church Reconstruction

Pilgrim Baptist Church introduced its new pastor, Reverend Keith E. Gordon and the architect in charge of reconstruction, Frank Christopher Lee of Johnson & Lee Architects/Planners in association with Quinn Evans Architects, today.

“These are both important steps in the rebuilding of Pilgrim Baptist Church. Reverend Gordon will lead us as we continually renew our faith and Frank Christopher Lee will lead the reconstruction of our Church building,” said Robert Vaughn Chairman Trustee Ministry. “We are truly blessed by the talents of these fine men.”

“I am humbled to be chosen to lead the community at Pilgrim Baptist Church. As as we rebuild our Church we build it on a firm foundation of faith,” said Rev. Gordon. “The rebuilding provides us with an opportunity to demonstrate the many gifts the Lord has given us.”

“We needed the right architect to direct the reconstruction, we looked for someone with a sense of history and a commitment to restoring and protecting this treasure of architecture and reverence for the Lord, said Cynthia Jones, Vice chairman Trustee Ministry. “Mr. Lee and his firm Johnson & Lee in association with Quinn Evans Architects will guide us through this challenging construction project.”

“I am grateful to Pilgrim Baptist Church for the trust they placed with me,” said Mr. Lee. “This church is important to the people who have worshiped here for many years. I am committed to those people as well the legacy of Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler. Soon this building will rise from the ashes and be filled with the sounds of joy and love.”

Pilgrim Baptist Church is located 3300 South Indiana Avenue, Sunday worship services are held each Sunday at 10:45 am. All are welcome.

Minister Keith E. Gordon

Senior Pastor Pilgrim Baptist Church

An engaging teacher, inspiring evangelist and passionate preacher, Pastor Keith E. Gordon brings his dynamic leadership to Pilgrim Baptist Church.

Pastor Gordon grew up on Chicago’s South Side in the Englewood and Washington Heights District neighborhoods. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is currently completing his Masters Degree in Urban Ministries at the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.

He has taught the Bible throughout the Untied States as well as in England, Canada and on the continent of Africa.

He serves as President of the Northwood River Baptist Association of Chicago within the National Missionary Baptist Convention. He is a Founding Board member and Director of Biblical Counseling Instruction at the the Chicagoland Association of Biblical Counseling.

Pastor Gordon is married to Latricia Gordon, his lovely wife and best friend. (who by the way is an awesome Interior Architect/Designer.)

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From Summer 2006 Chicago Preservation Newsletter

HOPE FOR THE PILGRIM BAPTIST CHURCH

When a city loses a landmarked structure designed by two of the world’s most revered and influential architects, it’s a heartbreak. But when that structure also happens to have housed events so historical, they have changed the face of an entire cultural landscape, it is a tragedy. Such was the case on January 6, 2006, when fire gutted the 115-year-old Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago’s storied Bronzeville neighborhood.

An Architectural Gem

Designed by Louis H. Sullivan and partner Dankmar Adler, the building was originally a synagogue whose innovative architecture paid homage to the progressive spirit of the Jewish Reform congregation, of which Adler was a member. At the corner of 33rd Street and Indiana Avenue it cut an imposing figure, a brawny block of limestone masonry and rounded arches capped by a smaller block with a steeply pitched roof. Its citadel demeanor worked in stark contrast to the splendor it housed within – a spacious sanctuary exemplifying the genius and aesthetics that were the trademarks of Sullivan and Adler, from the horseshoeshaped oak balcony to the intricately ornamented terracotta panels …to the soaring, half-moon ceiling that was an acoustical masterpiece.

The Birth of Gospel

In 1922, the synagogue became the Pilgrim Baptist Church, serving as a welcoming beacon to African-Americans who were arriving from the South in search of homes and jobs during the Great Migration between World Wars I and II. Bronzeville began to flourish as a business, cultural and
social center for middle-class Blacks, and it was during this time, in this Church, that jazz and blues artist Thomas A. Dorsey gave rise to a new genre of music: Gospel was born. Imagine the earth-moving vibrations emanating from the Church when the voices of such Gospel icons as Mahalia
Jackson and Sam Cooke rang from the rafters!

Coming Full Circle

In the ‘50’s and ‘60’s the neighborhood began to change, becoming poverty stricken and crime-ridden; membership of what once was a thriving congregation dwindled down to a mere couple hundred. The Church started showing signs of disrepair, triggering its designation as a historic
Chicago landmark in 1981. But by 2002, the Bronzeville pendulum was back on the upswing with new construction and the renovating of the grand homes of the Gilded Age. Restoration started on the Church as well. And then came January 6th.

Preservation Chicago’s Position

When the news reports of the fire first came out, some were skeptical that Pilgrim Baptist could be rebuilt. But more were optimistic, including Preservation Chicago. In a statement to the Press and to a general gathering that included Church and City officials, preservationists and builders, Preservation Chicago has declared, “We encourage the preservation of the exterior walls and their
incorporation in any future structure.” We are also on record (Chicago Tribune,2/9/06) for urging the City to monitor repairs on historic buildings more closely so that fires of this nature do not occur in the future.

Hope and Faith

As of 2/17/06, a study by structural engineers of Wiss, Janney, Elstner Assoc., Inc. has shown that significant portions of Pilgrim Baptist’s exterior walls appear to remain structurally sound, giving reason for much optimism by experts, and much hope by the faithful, that the Pilgrim Baptist Church can rise again to be even better, even stronger …but just as beautiful as it was in its glory days.

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Debate begins over Sullivan landmark

By Blair Kamin
Tribune architecture critic
Published January 18, 2007

The naming of an architect to guide the reconstruction of Pilgrim Baptist Church marks a long-awaited sign of progress since fire ravaged the church a year ago. But it also raises vexing questions about the Near South Side landmark, designed by legendary Chicago architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler.

Should the church be faithfully restored to its original state, which would entail rebuilding its destroyed peaked roof, upper stories and soaring, acoustically brilliant sanctuary? Or should it be recycled into some new and more modest form, with its still-standing exterior walls of limestone and brick serving as a shell for a modern interior that could house a new church and other uses?

There are no easy answers, particularly because a full-fledged restoration could cost, by some estimates, from $20 million to $40 million. Further complicating the picture: The original church hall seated more than 1,000 people, but Pilgrim Baptist's membership is down to 300, according to a church spokesman.

"We really don't have any preconceived notions," said the church's architect, Frank Christopher Lee of the Chicago firm Johnson & Lee, who was named to the project Monday as Mayor Richard M. Daley promised to chair a fundraising drive for rebuilding. "I want to be very respectful of Adler and Sullivan's work. I want to build upon it but not detract from it."

Not everyone agrees that an adaptive reuse is a good idea. "I think they have to put it back the way it was," said the Chicago architect and historic preservationist John Vinci. "The symbolism is in the sanctuary. It's not in the walls. That's not the architecture. That's just the shell."

The gutted church, an official city landmark, resembles a Roman ruin. Its main exterior walls are propped up by a temporary exo-skeleton of yellow steel at the corner of 33nd Street and Indiana Avenue.

Roof is gone

As Daley met Monday with members of the church in a simple brick building across Indiana Avenue, where church members now worship, twisted steel, singed timbers and piles of brick were visible through openings where there once were windows. There is no roof.

The aesthetic stakes surrounding the reconstruction are enormous. Completed in 1891 as a synagogue, Pilgrim Baptist is renowned as a major work of Adler and Sullivan, one of the great American architectural partnerships of the late 19th Century. It is regarded, too, as the birthplace of gospel music. Lee acknowledges that the prospect of shaping its future is "daunting."

The architect, 54, has done award-winning projects with a strong social slant, including the Komed Health Center in nearby Oakland/Kenwood. He's joined by a strong team of consultants, including Chicago acousticians Kirkegaard Associates, Chicago structural engineers Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, and Quinn Evans Architects of Ann Arbor, Mich. The latter firm's credits include restoring a Topeka, Kan., school that played a role in another major event involving African-Americans, the landmark 1954 desegregation case of Brown vs. Board of Education.

Lee and the consultants will be preparing a master plan, one that looks not only at the church but also at church-owned properties around it. With the Bronzeville neighborhood reviving, those properties could either be sold or developed to provide funds, Lee said. That would build on outside commitments, including a $500,000 matching grant from the Pritzker Family Foundation and a $1 million pledge from Gov. Rod Blagojevich. To date, the church itself has raised less than $250,000 in private donations.

While the master plan offers the prospect of a new urban design wrinkle, a museum of gospel music nearby or in the church itself, Lee also raised the possibility of an adventurous reuse of the church.

One model is a project that the Kirkegaard firm worked on, the adaptive re-use of a 1733 London church by the great English architects Nicholas Hawksmoor and John James. The church, St. Luke's, has a dazzling spire shaped like an obelisk. But after years of problems caused by settling, its roof was removed in 1959 and its interior remained open to the weather.

Then, in 2003, the once-battered church reopened as the shining second home of the London Symphony Orchestra, with a performance space for small concerts, a live-recording studio and a rehearsal hall for the orchestra. The British firm Levitt Bernstein essentially built a new building inside the old one, with treelike steel columns holding up a new, sound-dampening roof.

Lee hinted that he's intrigued by that approach, saying he would consider doing something "within the volume of what remains."

Vinci opposes an adaptive reuse, saying "that should be for minor buildings, not major buildings."

Restoring the sanctuary

The church's architectural glory, the sanctuary, should be restored, he said, adding that it could also be used for concerts and graduation ceremonies for the nearby Illinois Institute of Technology. Bolstering his view, Vinci has architectural drawings of the church that would help guide a restoration.

He also suggests that the church building be put under the control of a non-profit foundation, modeled on the 34-year-old foundation devoted to restoring Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple in Oak Park. Such a foundation would rent the building back to Pilgrim Baptist for $1 a year, he said. That would help fundraising efforts, he said, by eliminating the controversial issue of whether public funds should go to a religious use.

Both courses have pitfalls. Raising enough money for a restoration could take decades. On the other hand, marriages of old and new are sometimes fit for divorce court, as seen by the jarring renovation of Soldier Field, which the federal government last year stripped of National Historic Landmark status.

Still, the outcome at the London church adds to the list of possibilities for reviving Pilgrim Baptist, a building that many have given up for dead. It isn't dead, at least not yet. Lee's master plan is to be done in six months and then Daley expects to lead fundraising for the church. Whatever the chosen course, this project deserves all the creativity -- and financial support -- Chicago can muster.

bkamin@tribune.com

Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

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Preservation group releases endangered properties list

By Michelle S. Keller and David Ibata
Tribune staff reporters
Published January 17, 2007, 8:26 PM CST

When it was first built nearly 70 years ago, the North Avenue Pedestrian Bridge, with its graceful arch and overhead beams, was hailed as a triumph of engineering.

But even its forward-thinking architects could not foresee the requirements set forth by the American Disabilities Act, and in 2003, city officials announced they planned to replace the bridge with one that was wheelchair accessible.

Threatened with demolition, the historical bridge made Preservation Chicago's list of Chicago's Seven Most Threatened Buildings this year.

The nonprofit organization, founded in 2001, seeks to raise public awareness of the neglect or threat of redevelopment facing the city's architectural treasures.

"In the past eight years, there has been a tremendous surge of new construction in Chicago," said Michael Moran, vice president of Preservation Chicago. But that construction has come with a price, he said.

"Let's save the buildings that are special," Moran said. "People are drawn to the city in part because of our historic buildings."

This year's list includes a historic church designed by famed architect Louis Sullivan, a former downtown museum and a public housing complex.

The North Avenue Pedestrian Bridge was designed by Ralph Burke, who also designed the master plan of O'Hare International Airport. Preservation Chicago board members argued that another bridge that meets federal accessibility standards could be built nearby, preserving the historical landmark.

Constructed on the southern end of Lincoln Park, the current bridge provides access to North Avenue Beach.

The city's plan to build a replacement bridge was incorporated into a larger proposal to build five new bridges that will provide access to the lakefront on the North and South Sides. Obtaining the funding for the project is still several years away, so the organization has contended that there is still time to save the old bridge.

"Here's an opportunity to create two points of access to the lakefront" in this area, said Jonathan Fine, president of Preservation Chicago. "This was an incredible progressive bridge, years ahead of its time. Why spend the money to tear it down?"

Another landmark on the list is the Farwell Building, 660-664 N. Michigan Ave., an 11-story commercial building that until 2004 housed the Terra Museum of American Art. Preservation Chicago said the Art Deco/Classical Revival structure is one of the few remaining from the 1920s along the Magnificent Mile.

"This building's delicate scale, fine materials and elegant details...reflect the Parisian aesthetic" envisioned by architect Philip Maher, according to Fine.

Earlier this month, the city's Commission on Chicago Landmarks rejected a proposal to dismantle and reconstruct the building as part of a development of luxury condos. Only the limestone facade would have been saved.

City officials had supported the plan, arguing that it was an economically viable way to save the structure. But preservationists opposed it, saying it would make a mockery of Chicago's landmarks ordinance, which calls for historic buildings to be preserved in their entirety.

Michigan Avenue "is not the place for a parking spot," Fine said.

Pilgrim Baptist Church at 3301 S. Indiana Ave., designed by architects Sullivan and Dankmar Adler and built in 1890, was almost completely destroyed by fire last January and has been selected as a threatened building.

Only the masonry exterior walls of the Bronzeville landmark and recognized birthplace of gospel music survived.

The church wants to rebuild using the existing walls, but funding is a major challenge. So far, it has raised less than $250,000 in private donations. The Pritzker Foundation has offered up to $500,000 in matching funds, and Gov. Rod Blagojevich has promised $1 million in state money.

"The church is the crown jewel of the Bronzeville neighborhood, why shouldn't it be restored?" said Ward Miller, a Chicago architect. "Every effort should be made to preserve our landmarks."

Two commercial districts were identified this year as particularly threatened: the historic Archer Avenue in Bridgeport and the Wicker Park Commercial District. The latter includes about 50 buildings on Milwaukee Avenue stretching from Division Street and Ashland Avenue to Damen Avenue, most built from the 1880s to the 1930s.

"This is the most important architecturally intact portion of Milwaukee Avenue," Fine said. "It's home to many trendy shops, restaurants and boutiques."

Yet according to the organization, big-box retailers and condominiums threaten the area.

The Julia C. Lathrop homes, on Clybourn Avenue and Diversey Parkway east of the Chicago River and the Rosenwald Apartments in the 4600 block of South Michigan Avenue also were included in Preservation Chicago's list.

The organization goes through a list of about 50 buildings, districts and bridges and selects seven to feature in its annual list, Fine said. A combination of the imminent danger of demolition and the site's architectural and historical importance determine which places make the list.

The preservation organization says the Metropolitan Community Church at 41st Street and South King Drive and the Veseman Building at 444 N. LaSalle St. are among the landmarks saved as a result of its public education effort.

mkeller@tribune.com

dibata@tribune.com

Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

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Related Links

http://www.bronzevilleonline.com/newsarchive/pilgrim-baptist-church.htm

Blaze destroys historic church

Chicago Tribune | Another jewel of Sullivan's legacy lost