21 Chicago Landmarks Honored for Preservation

Lions and bulls and bears, oh my!

The dens of these denizens the Lion House and the Chicago Board of Trade have recently been restored to preserve their historic character. These and other Landmark buildings and their owners, 21 in all, were honored with the Chicago Landmark Award for Preservation Excellence.

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks recognizes outstanding projects that involve notable improvements to designated Chicago Landmarks or properties within Chicago Landmark Districts.

This year’s award-winning projects include:

• The $22.6 million renovation of the Chicago Board of Trade building (1929), including the restoration of its dramatic Art Deco lobby, clad in various marbles accentuated with polished nickel.
• The rehabilitated and expanded exterior animal habitat of the Lion House at Lincoln Park Zoo (1912), one of the country’s oldest municipal zoological parks.
• The $11.3 million renovation of the legendary Biograph Theater (1914), which includes restoring the historic white terra cotta and red brick façade, replacing the arched windows, replacing the storefronts and rehabilitating its signature marquee.
• The stewardship associated with the stately Queen-Anne style Abbott House (1891), residence of Dr. Wallace Abbott, one of the originators of modern pharmacy and the founder of the same-name global health care company.
• The restoration of the elaborate terra cotta façade, storefronts and upper- floor leaded windows of the Krause Music Store (1922) its facade was the final project of Louis Sullivan.
• The rehabilitation of the Prairie Avenue mansion of Marshall Field Jr. (1882), vacant for 40 years, now renovated as six private residences.
• The restoration of numerous historic structures and homes in Landmark Districts across the city, including Armitage-Halsted, Longwood Drive, Mid- North, Motor Row and Wicker Park.

Chicago has 238 individual landmark buildings, monuments and sites and 46 designated landmark districts, which total more than 8,000 structures of historic significance.

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks, whose nine members are appointed by the Mayor and City Council, works with homeowners, businesses, organizations and developers to preserve and maintain historic properties.

Preservation Award winners were selected by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, based on the previous year’s projects that received approval from the Commission's Permit Review Committee. Only properties that have been designated by the city council as individual Chicago Landmarks or as part of a Chicago Landmark District were eligible.

Cook Circuit Court Gets National Recognition

The Circuit Court of Cook County was selected for inclusion in the AIS’s Academy of Architecture for Justice Knowledge Coummunity Justice Facility Review 2007.

Dedicated to design excellence, the AAJ is an AIA knowledge community.

The JFR showcases justice facilities in the United States that demonstrate a high quality of form and functionality, as well as architectural responses to complex justice design issues.

Completed in 2005, the Circuit Courty of Cook county opened the doors of its renovated, four-story masonry-and-stone building exhibiting a new façade, lobby and interiors, with the goal of providing a friendly environment and an appropriate civic image. The project is recognized in part for its use of a terra cotta panel systems employing rain screen technology. The system was used on a new façade of the atrium lobby, which was positioned to reorient the building toward the city.

The sliver level, LEED-certified building creates a comfortable environment for inhabitants, paying attention to the separation of defendants and plaintiffs with designated elevators and corridors. Additional support functions include a child-care facility with separate areas for infants, toddlers and older children.

Chicago-based Booth Hansen was the architect on the project.

Tri-North Office Gets Madison’s First Gold LEED

Fitchburg, Wis.-based Tri-North Builders Inc. has announced its 55,000-sq-ft, three-story headquarters was awarded LEED gold certification, reportedly the first building in the Madison area to receive the gold certification for new construction.

Tri-North employees moved into the new building in October 2006. The building’s features include an energy efficient mechanical system, cotton batt insulation made from recycled blue jeans, green roof, waterless urinals and low-flush toilets in the bathrooms and pervious concrete in the parking lot.

Additionally, the building’s large windows and skylights allow for extensive use of natural lighting in offices, cutting electricity usage. The building’s HVAC and electrical systems are 25% more efficient than standard systems, while the plumbing fixtures save 300,000 to 400,000 gallons of water each year. During construction, the company collected for recycling 76% of the project’s waste, a total of 261.45 tons of debris.

Tri-North Builders Inc., specializes in healthcare, commercial, retail, and hospitality construction throughout 46 states. A leader in green building design and construction, the company has over 300 employees with offices in Fitchburg, Milwaukee, and Dallas.

Marvin Rothman, 1928-2007

Marvin Rothman, former senior vice president of Chicago-based Alfred Benesch and Co. and for 25 years the head of its Building Department, passed away on Sept. 1.

In summer 1951 he joined the consulting engineering, and Benesch was the only company he ever worked for.

One of his earliest projects was engineering the structures for the Old Orchard shopping mall. Rothman’s biggest projects included the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center and the 900 N. Michigan building.

In 1996 Rothman retired from Benesch after 45 of continuous employment.
Services were held.

Chicago Design Firm Gets Job for Russian Olympic City

Chicago-based architecture firm Built Form has won the assignment to design a 1.2-million-sq-ft residential and retail complex in Sochi, Russia, host city of the XXII Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2014. While not directly associated with the Olympics, the project is meant to lend support to the housing situation in Sochi during the games.

The firm will work with Serbian construction manager Putevi and Russian developer Imperial to create two 30-story towers comprising 650 residences, 100,000 sq ft of retail and 200,000 sq ft of parking.

Sochi, the so-called Russian Riviera, is situated between the Black Sea and the Caucasian mountain range. Sub-tropical in nature, Sochi has 400,000 residents and attracts many Russians for summer vacations.

Built Form’s project reportedly mirrors the city’s commitment to growing sustainable, inclusive and environmentally responsible infrastructure, as it prepares for the first-ever Russian-hosted Olympic Games. The project is scheduled for completion in 2010.