Landmark Designation For Church Favored Over Owner's Objection

EVANSTON, IL — Preservation commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to recommend landmark status be granted to a church designed by a famed architect and Evanston resident in the mid-20th Century.

The vote to approve the nomination came over the objections of a representative of the owner of the Second Church of Christ, Scientist, at 2715 Hurd Ave. The final decision on whether to declare the site a local landmark is up to the City Council.

Andrew Nebel, who lives about a block away and nominated the property for landmark status, told commissioners that he had always enjoyed living near the church.

When he learned of a proposal to demolish it and replace it with the 15th location of the Kensington School, a private nursery, preschool and kindergarten, Nebel said he began looking into what it would take to preserve it.

The church was designed shortly after World War II by Larry Perkins, who co-founded Perkins & Will with fellow Evanstonian Philip Will in 1935. Now one of the largest architecture firms in the country, Perkins first gained fame with the 1940 design of Crow Island School in Winnetka, one of the nation's first schools to be built in the international style.

In Evanston, Perkins is credited with the design of the Dawes School, Washington School, Chute Middle School and an addition to Noyes School, which turned into the Noyes Cultural Center, among other structures, according to Nebel's nomination.

Perkins, Nebel told commissioners, was one of the most famous architects to ever live in Evanston. The late architect's childhood home at 2319 Lincoln Ave. and the home he designed for his own family at 2940 Harrison St. have both already been landmarked.

"But how many other landmarks do we have with Larry's name on it? It just doesn't seem like enough has been done to honor this man who dedicated so much to the physical beauty of our town and the betterment of all who live here," Nebel said. "His impact is clearly still being felt today. I don't know if we even have a park bench with Larry's name on it."

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Gary Schumacher, a former preservation commissioner hired by the property owner to oppose "unnecessary assignment of landmark status," said Nebel had made the nomination without consulting his client. He told commissioners the church's materials and craftmanship were common, and the church was not representative of Perkins' career.

"The timeline does not support the notion that the site on Hurd was instrumental in the formation of his body of work," Schumacher said, "nor has he made a compelling argument that it more broadly influenced the development of religious architecture, as one might rightly argue the work of the Perkins firm did for educational spaces."

Commissioner Sarah Dreller, an architectural historian, said she had never seen a nicer modern version of the James Gibbs' influential neoclassical church in Trafalgar Square.

"It is saying exactly what it is meant to say here," Dreller said. "It seems to me a particularly good version of what it's meant to be."

Commissioner Stuart Cohen, a local architect, said he was not aware that Perkins ever designed any other churches.

"I think it is absolutely unique as a building in Evanston, and remember this is a local landmark designation we're considering, not a national one. There is nothing else like it in Evanston," Cohen said.

Following the vote, the Preservation Commission has 70 days to approve a report and resolution recommending that the City Council grant the property local landmark status.

City Planner Cade Sterling said staff should have a report ready ahead of the July 13 meeting, if not before the next meeting, which currently scheduled for June 8.

In a memo to the commission, Sterling noted that the consent of the owner or any concerns with the nomination outside of the designation criteria — in this case, the determination that the property's architect and architecture are both significant — should not be considered.

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The Plan Commission last month voted 5-3 to recommend against the request from Kensington School CEO Charles Marlas for permission to demolish the church and replace it with a 20,000-square-foot school.

The church is located across the street from Willard School, and the plan has faced vocal opposition from neighbors.

Ahead of the Plan Commission vote, an attorney for the church warned city officials that if the church has to sell the property for a lesser value because its zoning request is denied, "a legal suit could require Evanston to reimburse the Church for those damages plus the Church's attorney's fees."

Marlas has not responded to inquiries about whether he is still pursuing a city permit for the for-profit preschool.

If eventually approved by councilmembers, the landmark status means the property owner would require approval from preservation commissioners before receiving permission for demolition or other significant changes to the property.

It could be argued, Cohen said, that the church is not only unique in Evanston but also as a work of architecture.

"Do I think this is a great building that stands in the annals of architectural history? I don't think we need to debate that. I mean, I wouldn't propose it in that sense," he said. "But is it deserving of recognition and protection? I think that's what we're all here to decide."