The fate of The Georgian — an 88-year-old former hotel that the city’s Preservation Commission recommended last week be designated a historic landmark — now rests in the hands of the Evanston City Council, who must approve the action, which could halt the owners’ plans to construct a new building.
Local preservationists began defending The Georgian, 422 Davis St., when the owner, Mather LifeWays, announced plans last year to tear down the building and replace it with a more modern retirement complex. The preservationists said the building’s classical terra cotta facade is of historical value.
But many residents of The Georgian — now a retirement hotel — have said the preservationists’ demands lack substance and that the older building no longer serves their needs.
“The time has come for change,” Georgian resident Genevieve McGivern said at a Feb. 24 hearing. “We don’t need landmark status, we need a new building. I’d love a bigger bathroom.”
Despite testimony from many current residents, the Preservation Commission’s rationale had to be based on criteria in the city’s preservation ordinance. For the commission to recommend a historic designation, the building must reflect certain historic, cultural or archaeological significance in the city.
Commission member Mary Brugliera said they had to put aside any personal connection to Georgian residents and focus solely on the historic aspects of the building.
“There was a lot of noise on the issue of the residents of The Georgian wanting new dishwashers and elevators,” she said. “But I commend the commission members because they really sorted out the essential elements from all of that.”
Most commission members agreed that The Georgian displays characteristics of a historic trend of the 1920s — that of large-scale apartment construction, Brugliera said.
“It shows the development of apartments for a burgeoning middle class in Evanston,” she said, “which was becoming a city instead of a little town.”
Although some commission members disagreed on the historical merits of the architect’s design, they did reach a majority decision to move the recommendation forward.
But Evanston resident Barbara Govednik, who lives near The Georgian, said the preservation ordinance does not allow the commission to be more flexible in its decision making.
“It doesn’t surprise me; it seems like the commission pretty much landmarks anything,” she said. “The commission is looking at this very narrowly. I wish they would look at this in terms of the cost-benefit analysis of what it could turn into.”
Officials at Mather LifeWays — the nonprofit organization that owns The Georgian — said they do not think the building needs historic designation, but that they are at the mercy of the city’s administrative process.
“We are disappointed that this (opposition) continues, but it is what it is,” said Sara McVey, director of marketing for Mather LifeWays. “We don’t feel that The Georgian needs landmark status. However, we do have to follow the protocol that the preservation commission and the city has set up.”
The Preservation Commission will iron out the details of their recommendation at its April 27 meeting. City Council will then take up the matter for a final vote at a later date.
