FASCINATING SUBJECT.

>> IT IS A PLEASURE.

>> 15 HISTORIC BUILDING IN THE

NORTH NEIGHBORHOOD ARE HEADED

FOR LANDMARK STATUS AFTER THE

COMMISSION CALLED FOR PROTECTING

THEM AT A MEETING THIS

AFTERNOON.

AS "CHICAGO TONIGHT'S" NICK

BLUMBERG REPORTS THE BUILDINGS

REPRESENT A KEY MOMENT IN THE

CITY'S HISTORY.

AND THEIR LANDMARK STATUS WOULD

MEAN RESTRICTIONS.

>> THE DAY JOHN MOVED INTO HIS

BUILDING ON RUSH STREET 30 YEARS

AGO HE SAYS A GUY WALKED IN AND

ASKED IF HE WAS THE NEW OWNER.

>> I SAID YEP AND HE SAID WOULD

YOU LIKE PICTURES OF IT.

>> HE USED TO BE A NEWSPAPER

PHOTOGRAPHER WHO HAD SHOTS OF

HIS HOUSE AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

>> AND THAT IS REALLY A COOL

CARVED DOORWAY AND NOW IT'S

MARBLE.

>> HE HELD ON TO THE PHOTOS FOR

DECADES AND LOVES THE HISTORY

BEHIND HIS BUILDING.

IT'S ONE OF 15 ON THE NEAR NORTH

SIDE BUILT IN THE LATE 1800'S

THAT ADVOCATES WANT TO PRESERVE.

MANY ARE BUSINESSES, THEY WERE

ORIGINALLY ALL HOMES FOR WELL TO

DO CHICAGOANS.

BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED AND CRAFTED

TWO, THREE, FOUR-STOREY

STRUCTURES.

>> YOU SEE TALL BUILDINGS GOING

UP AND THE WONDERFUL LITTLE ROW

HOUSES THAT HAVE THESE CHARMING

BUSINESSES IN THEM, THE HUMAN

SCALE OF THESE STRUCTURES THIS

GIVES A SENSE OF PLACE, A SENSE

OF HISTORY.

>> AND THEY REPRESENT A FRESH

START.

BUILT IN THE YEARS AFTER OF

DEVASTATING FIRE HALF THE

BUILDINGS ARE BRICK AND

LIMESTONE, CARVINGS.

AND THE OTHERS ARE A MIX.

QUEEN ANN WITH FORM VARIED

COLORS.

SECOND EMPIRE WITH A FRENCH

INFLUENCE.

SOME HAVE A MEDIEVAL FLAIR FROM

ROMANNESQUE DETAILS AND SOME OF

THE ARCHITECTS WERE RESPONSIBLE

FOR REMARKABLE BUILDINGS LIKE

THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY AND THE

CHICAGO ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION.

LISA DICHIERA FROM LANDMARKS

ILLINOIS SAYS THE 15 ARE

SURVIVORS.

>> THE AMOUNT OF DEVELOPMENT

THAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE

NEIGHBORHOOD PARTICULARLY OVER

THE LAST 30 YEARS HAS REALLY

WIPED OUT A LOT OF THE REMNANTS

OF THE LATE 19TH CENTURY

DEVELOPMENT.

>> DESPITE THEIR HISTORIC VALUE

SOME PROPERTY OWNERS ARE WORRIED

THAT PRESERVATION EFFORTS WILL

TIE THEIR HANDS AND MAKE IT

DIFFICULT IF THEY WANT TO SELL.

IF THE LANDMARK DESIGNATION GOES

THROUGH, OWNERS CANNOT TEAR DOWN

THE BUILDINGS OR MAKE ANY

CHANGES TO THE HISTORIC FACADES.

JOHN CONNELLAN DOESN'T THINK

TEAR DOWNS ARE IN THE OFFING.

HE HAS SPOKEN OUT AT PUBLIC

HEARINGS.

ONE VOICED FEARS FOR HIS FUTURE

IF HE CANNOT FIND A BUYER.

>> HE SAID THIS IS MY

RETIREMENT.

BUT IF I CANNOT GET THE MONEY

OUT OF THE BUILDING, I DON'T

HAVE A RETIREMENT.

TO ME, THEY ARE NOT SELLING THIS

CONCEPT.

>> PRESERVATION ADVOCATES SAY

THEY UNDERSTAND OWNERS' CONCERNS

BUT THEY HAVE WATCHED THE FABRIC

OF THE CITY CHANGE.

>> WHEN I WAS GROWING UP IN THIS

NEIGHBORHOOD A LITTLE TOO TO THE

NORTH THERE ARE ROW HOUSES

CONVERTED INTO RESTAURANTS AND

BUSINESSES AND A LOT OF THOSE

HAVE GONE AND REPLACED BY TALL

BUILDINGS.

>> AN APPLICATION TO DEMOLISH

TWO OF THE BUILDINGS PROMPTED

THE CITY TO MOVE TO PRESERVE THE

STRUCTURES.

>> WITHOUT THE BUILDINGS WE

WOULD HAVE NO UNDERSTANDING OF

WHAT THE CITY LOOKED LIKE IN

THAT EARLY DEVELOPMENT PERIOD.

IF THEY ARE GONE THEY ARE GONE

FOREVER.

>> OWNERS CAN MAKE CHANGES TO

THE INTERIORS OF THE BUILDINGS

EVEN WITH THE LANDMARK

DESIGNATION.

WHILE IT'S NOT A DONE DEAL YET,

JOHN CONNELLAN SAYS...

>> YOU CAN'T BEAT CITY HALL.

SORRY ABOUT THAT, MAYOR.

>> FOR "CHICAGO TONIGHT" I'M

NICK BLUMBERG.

>> THIS AFTERNOON'S HEARING

STAFF NOTED THAT OWNERS ARE

ALLOWED TO BUILD ADDITIONS AT

THE REAR OF THE BUILDINGS IF

THEY ARE SETBACK FROM THE

STREET.