Prepared and submitted by the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition
Jump to:
In the spring of 2000, the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition nominated the Maxwell Street neighborhood to be an official historic district listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Anyone may nominate a building, district or other historic landmark to the National Register of Historic Places, a division of the National Park Service.
The extensive nomination application was prepared by Lori Grove and other Coalition members. It consists of hundreds of pages of detailed documentation about buildings and other infrastructure in the proposed district, and about the area’s historical significance. What follows is the complete application in a "web friendly" version.
Below is a ‘Table of Contents’ for the application. Clicking on the links will open the various sections of the nomination application.
For more information about the nomination, click here. For more information about the struggle to save Maxwell Street, click here.
Below is the information that appears on the official registration form. Several sections permit continuations, which are linked below in the 'Table of Contents.'
Section 1. Name of Property
Name of Property: Maxwell Street Historic District
Other Names: Maxwell/Halsted/Roosevelt Commercial District
Section 2. Location
Location: Roughly bounded by Roosevelt Road on the north, Liberty and Maxwell Streets on the south, Union Street on the east, and the rear alley of Halsted Street on the west.
City or Town: Chicago
State: Illinois
County: Cook
Code: 31
Zip Code: 60607
Section 3. State/Federal Agency Certification
State Certifying Agency: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
Section 4. National Park Service Certification
Section 5. Classification
Ownership of Property: private, public-State
Category of Property: district
Number of Resources within Property: contributing 44, non-contributing 10
Section 6. Classification
Historic Funtions: COMMERCE/TRADE: specialty store, restaurant, department store, warehouse; DOMESTIC: multiple dwelling; RELIGION: religious facility; INDUSTRY: industrial storage, manufacturing facility; EDUCATION: school; RECREATION AND CULTURE: movie theater, music facility; SOCIAL: civic, meeting hall.
Current Functions: COMMERCE/TRADE: specialty store, restaurant, warehouse; DOMESTIC: multiple dwelling; RELIGION: religious facility; INDUSTRY: industrial storage; RECREATION AND CULTURE: music facility; SOCIAL: civic; LANDSCAPE: plaza.
Section 7. Description
Architectural Classification: COMMERCIAL STYLE, ITALIANATE, ART DECO, NEO-CLASSICAL, SULLIVANESQUE, TUDOR REVIVAL, BAROQUE REVIVAL, EARLY ROMANESQUE REVIVAL, OTHER (cottage: frame structure w/vertical sawn lumber-vernacular)
Materials, Foundation: BRICK, CONCRETE, LIMESTONE; Walls: BRICK, TERRA COTTA, STUCCO, WEATHERBOARD, STONE; Roof: ASPHALT; Other: METAL, GLASS, CERAMIC TILE, MARBLE, GRANITE.
Section 8. Significance
Applicable National Register Criteria: Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.
Areas of Significance: COMMERCE, ETHNIC HERITAGE, PERFORMING ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT/RECREATION.
Period of Significance: 1870-1950
Architect/Builder: Levy and Klein; Otto Kaiser; Dubin and Eisenberg; Alexander Levy; David Saul Eisenberg; Alexander Levy; David Saul Klafter; Merritt J. Moorehouse; J.T. Fortin; Joseph Molitor; Henry Newhouse; Theordore Duesing; Maurice Spizzer; Henry Ottenheimer; Dubin and Dubin.
Narrative Statement of Significance
Section 9. Major Bibliographical References
Previous Documentation of file at NPS: previously determined eligible by the National Register, recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey (multiple record numbers).
Primary Location of Additional Data: Illinois State Historical Library
Section 10. Geographical Data
Acreage of Property: Approximately 10
Verbal Boundary Description and Boundary Justification
Section 11. Form prepared by
Name/title: Lori Grove, Director; Elliot Zashin, Treasurer; Charles Cowdery, President; Steve Balkin, Vice President.
Organization: Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition
Date: 12/21/99; revised 2/2/00
Section 7 - Narrative Description
Section 7 - Descriptions of Individual Buildings within the Proposed Historic District
Section 8 - Narrative Statement of Significance
Section 10 - Verbal Boundary Description and Boundary Justification
TO REACH US VIA EMAIL:
mailto:info@maxwellstreet.org
TO REACH US VIA THE USPS:
Maxwell Street Foundation
P.O. Box 6435
Evanston, IL 60204
TO LEAVE A COMMENT IN OUR GUESTBOOK:
Visit our guestbook to see what other visitors to this website have had to say about Maxwell Street, and add your own comments.