Heights Committee Laments Demolishment of East Side Building

This article was updated at 7:24 a.m. on Aug. 27 to include comments from Third Ward Ald. Wanda Rodgers.

With progress comes destruction.

The dichotomy rings true as an arguably historical building at the intersection of 16th Street and Center Avenue was torn to the ground last week to make way for the development of more homes as part of the City of Chicago Heights' Neighborhood Stabilization Project.

The City completed Phase I of the project last year when it contracted Mecca Companies Inc. to build nine homes. Some of those homes have been sold and, with the help of $2 million in federal grants, Phase II will add six more homes. 

Throughout the summer, the city council has voted on actions vital to the project, including funding and, last Monday, the acquisition and selling of land.

Fourth Ward Ald. Joshua Deabel voted against both resolutions. Why? It all comes back to the building on Center Avenue.

"My biggest reason for voting against it was that the Preservation Committee was never made aware of this property being on the block for destruction," Deabel said.

The Chicago Heights Historic Preservation Committee has a list of buildings in the Heights that are considered "potentially significant." The building, located at 1600 Center Avenue, is named on that list.

"There's a responsibility, it’s an ordinance within our city that the City works with the Preservation Committee on structures of this type," Deabel said. "I think they should have been contacted."

Jennifer Fisher, Chair of the Historic Preservation Committee, said the committee's only meeting with city officials about the building took place after its fate had been decided.

"The Committee did meet with the mayor about the issue and we were told it was too late, and the project was set prior to their administration," Fisher said. "There’s only so much you can do or say when it’s something like that."

History Behind the Building

So, why did the Committee have this building on its list? Apparently it was more than a century old and had some impressive outer details.

Built in 1900, the building was once a neighborhood grocery store and was deemed "architecturally significant" for having "classic revival details," including copper cornice molding and oriel windows, according to Fisher. 

Third Ward Ald. Wanda Rodgers reflected on the building, known to her as Mary's Store, as a staple of her childhood.

"I have been living on the east side of Chicago Heights all my life," Rodgers said. "I remember going into that building when I was a little girl to buy candy. I remember the sisters that owned that store. I just celebrated my 45th birthday, so that was over 35 years ago."

Fisher and Deabel said, with a proper restoration, the building would have made for good storefront space with apartments on the second floor. 

"It’s really unfortunate because with the brick houses they're building, (the building) would have fit with the character of what they're doing," Fisher said.

Reasoning the Wrecking Ball

Mark Stanfa, the NSP Program Director for Mecca, gave a seemingly logical reason for the demolition of the building: Being historically significant means nothing if the structure is in danger of collapsing. 

"The building was structurally unsound," Stanfa said. "The second-floor brick was buckled out a foot or two and that building would have caved eventually. There were public safety concerns. The historical significance of the building does not account for the fact that it was unsafe."

When the council discussed whether to fund Phase II of NSP back in July, Deabel raised questions about whether the building could be saved. Stanfa was doubtful, saying a full restoration would cost about $1 million. Deabel called Stanfa's estimate an "off-the-cuff number," and Fisher agreed.

"I feel that’s the stock answer for 'I don’t want to start again from the beginning and we haven’t done this before,'" Fisher said. "I’ve heard that so many times. How can you give me a number when you haven’t even looked into it?"

Third Ward Ald. Wanda Rodgers agreed with Stanfa's assessment that the building was unsafe.

"Over time that structure became dangerous," Rodgers said. "I'm all for preserving a structure when it can be saved. Over the years, deterioration on the abandoned building became unsafe. We (the City of Chicago Heights) did not have the money to restore the building that was once known as Mary's Store. Therefore, it is now part of Phase II of the NSP program."

Everyone on the city council except Deabel, when present, has voted in favor of each resolution concerning NSP Phase II.

Hopes for the Future

Rodgers said Deabel and the Preservation Committee never presented her with viable alternatives for 1600 Center Avenue.

"They never even offered suggestions on how monies could be acquired to restore the building," Rodgers said. "It's easy to say what should be done, but do they have a solution?"

With the building gone, Fisher said she hopes to build a better rapport with Mayor Gonzalez so the Committee can discuss other historically significant buildings with him before they are slated for removal.

"I would love for this community to be able to see something that has been neglected get shined up and turned around," Fisher said. "I know it’s possible. I know it might cost more, but it might be more useful than these houses, when you can’t even sell houses here."

Stanfa said the building was torn down in pieces, making it easier for the City to save some of the brick from the structure. The City has yet to decide what it will do with the leftover bricks. 

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Editor's Note: This article initially listed the address of the building in question as 1606 Center Avenue. The actual address was 1600 Center Avenue.