Landmark District
Ravenswood Manor: Landmark Protection
This page is a place to learn about possible landmark protection for Ravenswood Manor. Information will be added as the process moves forward. A good way to keep up to date is the RMIA email newsletter, and you can sign up at this link to MailChimp: http://eepurl.com/diMgnv
There is a separate site which provides Ravenswood Manor property owners with information about the landmark designation process: bit.ly/RMIALDINFO. It also provides opportunities to participate in discussion, leave comments, and access additional resources.
Please send your questions and/or feedback about protecting Ravenswood Manor through landmark designation, and ask questions about the process to the RMIA Board via a dedicated email address: landmarkdistrict@ravenswoodmanor.com.
Does the Manor Merit Landmark Protection?
Excerpt from the cover story from the Winter 2017/2018 RMIA newsletter.
In 2007, when Ravenswood Manor was being considered for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, an architectural survey found that 91 percent of its 520 buildings “contributed to the character” of the proposed historic district.
Today, just a decade later, that figure has dropped to 83 percent, due to the demolition—or major exterior alterations—of a number of historic buildings in the 60-acre neighborhood, which is roughly bounded by the Chicago River, Lawrence, Montrose, and Sacramento avenues.
In the past four years, for example, three of the area’s original “Model Homes,” which were built in 1909-10 by pioneering real estate developer William E. Harmon, have been demolished or seriously altered. Several other controversial projects, including 4432 N. Mozart St., have brought attention to the fact that existing zoning controls are insufficient to address some redevelopment projects.
As a result, in November 2017, the Ravenswood Manor Improvement Association Board voted to commission a study of the neighborhood’s potential for designation as a Chicago Landmark District. This action followed an earlier recommendation by the RMIA’s Zoning Committee to consider local landmark protection as a way to help regulate major exterior alterations and building demolition.
Report on possible Ravenswood Manor landmark district
On Monday, April 2, 2018 Architectural historian Terry Tatum presented his initial findings about possible landmark protection for Ravenswood Manor at a community meeting. That report can be downloaded at the link below, along with the meeting handout at the second link.
Report on possible Ravenswood Manor landmark district: Preliminary Summary of Information, by Terry Tatum (.pdf 6.1MB)
Handout from presentation: Landmark Presentation Handout, April 2, 2018, by Terry Tatum (.pdf 2.2MB)
Please send your comments in favor or opposed to protecting Ravenswood Manor through landmark designation, and ask questions about the process to the RMIA Board via a dedicated email address: landmarkdistrict@ravenswoodmanor.com.
Links to Explore for More Information on Landmark District Designation
City of Chicago, Historic District documents download page: https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dcd/supp_info/chicago_landmarks-publicationsandadditionalinformation.html
City of Chicago, Department of Planning & Development: Historic Preservation
https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dcd/provdrs/hist.html