Chicago, Friday, June 23, 2000
The demons of destruction at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) have done it again. Today, the Becker Jewelry Store at 1230 South Halsted was demolished by UIC. As was the case when they destroyed the Shah's building a month ago, this demolition served no purpose except to attack the efforts of the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition to preserve the neighborhood as a National Historic District. By weakening the historic fabric as much as possible, UIC hopes to persuade preservation officials in Springfield and Washington that the neighborhood has insufficient physical integrity for preservation. UIC cannot actually begin construction on the site until the rest of the buildings on the block have been acquired, cleared and demolished. Recently acquired businesses nearby have 90 days to vacate, and some of the properties still have not been acquired. Therefore, construction cannot possibly begin before the end of September and, realistically, probably won't begin until Spring of 2001. So why demolish this building now? Because rubble cannot be preserved and UIC is determined to have its way in the Maxwell Street neighborhood, despite a renewed outpouring of expert and popular opposition to its development scheme. Once again, UIC's cynicism, arrogance and cultural insensitivity are boundless.
After the Shah's Building was demolished on May 24, the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition wrote to UIC President Stukel asking him to declare a moratorium on new demolition until the final determination of the Coalition's National Register nomination had been made in Washington. Our appeal was never answered, until today. We send letters, they send bulldozers.
The two-story commercial building at 1230 South Halsted was built in 1889. It formerly housed the Becker Jewelry Store. Black, fluted Art Deco glazed terra cotta vertical panels from a likely 1930s alteration were the only visible historic elements until the metal siding covering the second floor facade was removed by the demolition, revealing an intact, original 1880s facade of red brick with Indiana limestone lintels.
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Contact Us
TO REACH US VIA EMAIL:
Chuck Cowdery, President (cowdery@21stcentury.net)TO REACH US VIA THE USPS:
Steve Balkin, Vice President (mar@openair.org)
Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition
P.O. Box 6435
Evanston, IL 60204