I
visited Maxwell Street on Wednesday,
March 27, 2002 and took these pictures.
There are five historic buildings still standing in the neighborhood that, although slated for destruction, can and should be saved. They are:
Here are some details about each of these buildings:
717
W. Maxwell (building on the left in the photo, right) was originally constructed
in 1883 as a two story brick dwelling, It was altered in 1909 and converted
into a three story factory and storage facility. At the time, it was owned
by William H. Farber and Hyman Wittenberg. They hired architect David S.
Klafter to design the addition and alterations.
719 W. Maxwell (building on the right in the photo, right) was originally constructed in 1881 by Mrs. Rosa Stein as a two story brick store and dwelling. Paul and Bill's Tailor Shop is still doing business there. Whenever I visit Maxwell Street, I see people bringing pants in to be hemmed.
716
W. Maxwell (left) is typical of the frame dwellings that composed the Maxwell
Street neighborhood before the Chicago Fire of 1871. The combined use of
vertical and circular sawed lumber in the timber frame construction of
the building suggests that it was built during the 1860-65 transition period,
when the circular saw gradually replaced the vertical saw. There are only
six buildings in the city that are recognized as being pre-fire landmarks
by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.
The members of the Maxwell Street Co-op, who lived and worked in this building, were finally evicted a few weeks ago. Out and about in all weather, they provided the last street life in the neighborhood, which is eerily quiet without them. Half of the 15th Street Community Garden, which was lovingly maintained by the residents of 716 W. Maxwell and other neighborhood residents, was destroyed during the removal.
The
church at 1352 S. Union (right) was constructed in 1863 as a frame church
for the German United Evangelical Zion congregation. In 1905 or 1906, it
became Shaari Shomayim Anshe Romanian Synagogue under Rabbi Commissari.
In 1935, the building became Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church. That
congregation has continued to meet there ever since. It is likely that
the original pre-fire frame building is beneath the brick veneer.
The
house (left) at 711 W. O’Brien (one block north of Maxwell) is a two story
brick Italianate-style two flat built by James Ragon in 1886. It is in
wonderful condition and was occupied until very recently.
In other Maxwell Street news, the two hot dog stands, Jim’s Original and Maxwell Street Express Grill, appear to be thriving at their new locations on Union Street, just south of Roosevelt Road. Both are still open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Although advertised as "temporary," both buildings are solid, concrete block constructions. Let's hope they stay and can continue to be "stands" in the true Maxwell Street tradition, open to the street, and not forced to become "restaurants."
Also, renovation of seven buildings on Halsted and one on Maxwell that are being saved appears to be underway. This photo shows the building on the southeast corner of Maxwell and Halsted (1325-1333 S. Halsted/739-743 W. Maxwell). It was built in 1899 by Theodore Duesing as a department store for owner F. Zuttermeister. Work is underway on both the front and back of the building. All of the other buildings slated for preservation have been boarded up and secured, something UIC never seemed to be able to do in the past, even before the fate of these buildings was determined.
For
a contrast between the neighborhood as it appears here on March 27, 2002,
and the way it looked the last time we did a report like this, in September
of 2000, click
here.
(Thanks to Lori Grove for much of the historical research on the buildings described here.)
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