Old buildings find new home on historic register

Photo of 2440 N. Lakeview Ave by Urban Real Estate

Three new Chicago properties have been added to the Historic Places list. The National Park Service listed the properties, a 1950s residential development, a wholesale florist market and a 1920s apartment building, in the National Register of Historic Places on November 22.

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency announced  their inclusion in the prestigious national list on Wednesday, December 14. The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency administers the National Register program in Illinois.

These are the properties:

• The Parkway Garden Homes – Located in the 6300 to 6500 block of S. Martin Luther King Drive, the residential development was built in the 1950s. It was designed by and for African Americans after World War II. Chicago’s Henry K. Holsman designed the 35 buildings with 694 apartment homes.
• The Wholesale Florist Exchange – Located at 1313 W. Randolph Street, the property was built in 1927. At the time, it was one of the nation’s largest wholesale florist markets. The building was designed by Fox&Fox and is an Ard Deco-style, concrete loft structure.
• A 1920s building at 2440 N. Lakeview Avenue – Located on the city’s North Side, the building retains much of its original historic integrity inside as well as outside. An elevator apartment building, it was designed in the Tudor Revival Style by Chicago architects Rissman & Hirschfeld.

Some conditions have to be met for a property to be listed on the National Register. The sites must retain their historic integrity, they must be at least 50 years old and their listings must be promoted by the current owner.

There are 329 places listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places in Chicago. The list includes 77 historic districts with numerous historic buildings, structures, objects and sites. The first Chicago sites were listed on October 15, 1966, when the National Park Service created the National Register.