The Commission on Chicago Landmarks, established in 1968 by a Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 (USA) City Ordinance, is composed of nine members appointed by the Mayor

Mayor of Chicago

The Mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of Chicago, Illinois, the third largest city in the United States. He or she is charged with directing city departments and agencies, and with the advice and consent of the Chicago City Council, appoints department and agency leaders.-Appointment...

 and the Chicago City Council

Chicago City Council

The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 aldermen elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms...

. It is responsible for presenting recommendations of individual buildings, sites, objects, or entire districts to be designated as Chicago Landmark

Chicago Landmark

Chicago Landmark is a designation of the Mayor of Chicago and the Chicago City Council for historic buildings and other sites in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, architectural, artistic, cultural,...

s, therefore providing legal protections. The commission is staffed by the Landmarks Division of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development.

Landmark requirements

To be recommended for landmark status, a building or district must meet at least two criteria: critical part of Chicago's heritage

Cultural heritage

Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...

, site of a significant event, association with a significant person, important architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

, important architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

, distinctive theme

Theme (arts)

In the visual arts, a theme is a broad idea or a message conveyed by a work, such as a performance, a painting, or a motion picture. This message is usually about life, society or human nature. Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a work. Themes are usually implied...

 as a district, or unique visual feature. It must also retain a high degree of architectural integrity. The commission is responsible for reviewing proposed alteration, demolition

Demolition

Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....

 or new construction affecting individual landmarks or properties in landmark districts as part of the permit

Construction permit

A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...

 review process.

In January 2005, 259 sites had achieved Chicago Landmark designation, including 217 individual designations, 38 landmark districts, and four district extensions, totalling 6,500 properties.

Current commission members include:

• David Mosena, Chairman
• John W. Baird, Secretary
• Lisa Willis
• Phyllis Ellin
• Christopher R. Reed
• Edward I. Torrez
• Ernest C. Wong
• Ben Weese

Controversy

There are widespread concerns in Chicago that the Landmarks Commission has strayed from its designated mission of helping preserve things of historic and architectural significance and has become, instead, a political tool dedicated to upholding the city's tradition of "aldermanic prerogative". This is an unwritten tradition maintained by the city council that gives each alderman dictatorial control of all zoning matters within their wards. The concept has now been expanded to include control over building size, appearance, materials, proposed demolitions, and proposed landmark designations. In short, the concern is that the Landmarks Commission gets all marching orders from individual aldermen and is a rubber stamp body whose recommendations are arbitrary and capricious.

See also

• Chicago Plan Commission
  Chicago Plan Commission
  The Chicago Plan Commission is a commission implemented to promote the Plan of Chicago, often called the Burnham Plan. After official presentation of the Plan to the city on July 6, 1909, the City Council of Chicago authorized Mayor Fred A. Busse to appoint the members of the Chicago Plan Commission...
  
  
• Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois
  Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois
  The Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois -- also known as Landmarks Illinois -- is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1971 to prevent the demolition of the Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan designed Chicago Stock Exchange Building...
  
  
• NIMBY
  NIMBY
  NIMBY or Nimby is an acronym for the phrase "not in my back yard". The term is used pejoratively to describe opposition by residents to a proposal for a new development close to them. Opposing residents themselves are sometimes called Nimbies...
  
  

External links

• Chicago Landmarks Homepage