Evanston Preservation Commission members walked by about 150 downtown buildings over the past few weeks and have identified as many as 23 they’d like to consider adding to the 29 that already have landmark status.

Evanston Preservation Commission members walked by about 150 downtown buildings over the past few weeks and have identified as many as 23 they’d like to consider adding to the 29 that already have landmark status.

The potential landmarks include buildings on the site of the proposed Optima Promenade high-rise development at 1515 Chicago Ave. and a vacant 1980s-vintage three-story office building at 1890 Maple Ave. in Research Park that a developer has proposed replacing with a 10-story hotel.

Also tagged for possible landmark status is the Chase Bank tower, Evanston’s tallest structure, built in 1969.

The survey is a preliminary effort to identify possible landmarks that the Preservation Commission is working on in conjunction with the Plan Commission’s efforts to develop a new downtown plan.

Landmark status, if approved by the City Council, would be a substantial barrier to redeveloping the properties. It’s unclear at this point how many of the buildings may be formally considered for landmark status.

The survey identifies the following properties as landmark candidates:

  • The Chase Building, 1603 Orrington Ave., an International-style skyscraper.
  • The John Evans Building, 1600-1608 Hinman Ave. and 501-515 Davis St., a five-story, tudor-revival apartment building with ground-floor retail facing Davis.
  • The North Shore Hotel, 1601-1617 Chicago Ave., a seven-story, 1920s-vintage apartment hotel.
  • 820 Church St., a four-story limestone retail and commercial building.
  • 1549-1555 Sherman Ave. and 627 Grove St., two-story limestone retail and office building on the northeast corner of the intersection.
  • 518-526 Davis St., a two-story limestone retail and office building.
  • 1515 Chicago Ave., a one-story brick office building.
  • 1520 Chicago Ave., a two-story Art Deco limestone structure built in 1929 for the Illinois Bell Telephone Company, with four-story additions to the rear. Now a switching center for AT&T.
  • 1628 Orrington Ave., a two-story limestone retail and office building also known as 708 Church St.
  • Bennison’s Bakery, 1000 Davis St., a one-story Art Deco terra cotta-faced building.
  • Evanston YMCA, 1000 Grove St., a five-story stone and timber institutional building.
  • 1745 Orrington Ave., a three-story stucco, brick and wood Myron Hunt-designed multi-family residential building.
  • 1706-1710 Sherman Ave., the two story brick and terra cotta former Varsity Theatre building.
  • The home at 1732 Chicago Ave. in the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union complex.

It also identifies the following buildings as possible landmark candidates:

  • 1840 Oak Ave., a four-story brick and reinforced concrete office building
  • 1033 University Place, a four-story contemporary brick and concrete office building.
  • 1001 University Place, a three-story brick, glass and precast concrete office building.
  • 1890 Maple Ave., a three-story brick, glass and precast concrete office building.
  • 906-920 University Place, a two-story brick building housing Northwestern University’s carpentry shop and technology innovation center.
  • The Hotel Orrington, 1700-1714 Orrington Ave., an eight-story brick and stone structure.
  • 722-728 Clark St. and 1729-1745 Sherman Ave., a three-story brick and stone commercial and residential building including the former Hoos Drug Store.
  • 1712-1722 Sherman Ave., a three-story retail and residential building of brick and stone with terra cotta trim.
  • The Metra Station at Maple Avenue between Church and Davis Streets.

The city lists the following buildings as Evanston’s existing downtown landmarks:

  • The Hahn Building, 1618-1626 Orrington Ave. and 1609-1619 Sherman Ave., a three-story retail and office building.
  • The Evanston Galleria, 1700-1704 Sherman Ave., 805-827 Church St. and 1707-1709 Benson Ave., a five-story limestone building with bronze trim, built in 1929 as a Marshall Fields store and converted to ground floor commercial with condominium apartments above in 1988.
  • The Library Plaza, 1633-1639 Orrington Ave., an eight-story brick and limestone office building.
  • The Carlson Building, 618-640 Church St. and 1641 Orrington Ave., a seven-story limestone office building with two-story tower.
  • The First United Methodist Church, 516 Church St.
  • The University Building, 1604 Chicago Ave., a two-story retail and office building
  • 610-612 Davis St., a mixed retail and residential building
  • 1505-1509 Oak Ave., a three-story brick and masonry apartment building.
  • The main Evanston Post Office, 1101 Davis St. and 1602 Oak Ave., a 1930s-vintage limestone structure.
  • 1125 Davis St. and 1603-1611 Ridge Ave., a four-story brick apartment building constructed about 1916.
  • 1615-1625 Ridge Ave., a three-story story brick apartment building constructed about 1914.
  • 1627-1645 Ridge Ave. and 1124-1136 Church St., a three-story brick apartment building.
  • 1703-1713 Ridge Ave., a three-story brick apartment building.
  • The Woman’s Club of Evanston, 1702 Chicago Ave., a three-story brick building.
  • The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union administration building at 1728 Chicago Ave. (This is a National Register landmark, but not a local landmark.)
  • The Frances Willard museum of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union at 1730 Chicago Ave.
  • A house on the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union property at 1724 Chicago Ave.
  • Northwestern University’s Asbury Hall, 1830 Sherman Ave., a four-story brick and stone structure.
  • St. James Armenian Church, 816 Clark St., a three-story brick structure.
  • Second Baptist Church, 1717 Benson Ave., a three-story brick structure.
  • The Chaumont, 531 Grove Ave. and 1501-1509 Chicago Ave., a four-story limestone building with retail shops on the first floor and rental apartments above.
  • The Catholic Women’s Club, 1560 Oak Ave., two-and-a-half story, stone and frame Victorian mansion.
  • The Chandlers Building, 630 Davis St., a five-story limestone former department store and print shop constructed in 1929, now used for office and retail space.
  • Masonic Temple, 1453 Maple Ave., a two-story neo-classic style structure.
  • 1453 Elmwood Ave., a one-story, brick and masonry municipal sewer pumping station.
  • The Music Institute of Chicago, 1490 Chicago Ave. and 600-610 Grove St., the former First Church of Christ, Scientist building, constructed in 1912.
  • 1511-1521 Sherman Ave. and 620-628 Grove St., a two-story limestone retail and office building.
  • Lake Street Church, 607 Lake St. and 1458 Chicago Ave.
  • 1578 Sherman Ave., a brick and limestone office building.

Editor’s note (7/11/06): This story has been updated several times as available data on the landmark count has changed. More background on the changes is available here.

Bill Smith is the editor and publisher of Evanston Now.

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