A building on the Kendall College site was recommended for landmark status this week in a move that could threaten a plan to build new homes on the property.
The Evanston Preservation Commission, decided the building — currently the administration building for Kendall — met several criteria for landmark status, including a historical association with important social and cultural events in the city.
“This building is going to be the most recognizable and only building that remains of that school,” said commissioner Mary Brugliera. “This is what’s going to be left of an educational institution with a long history in Evanston.”
The recommendation will be forwarded to Evanston City Council for final approval.
The Northeast Evanston Historic District Association submitted an application in June to obtain landmark status for the building, which was purchased by Smithfield Properties last year. A zoning change could allow developers to demolish the building.
If the building is granted landmark status, it can remain on the site even with a zoning change. The site is now zoned for university use.
Judy Fiske, a board member of the Northeast Evanston Historic District Association, told the commission Tuesday night that the building — first built in 1907 as a seminary for Evanston’s burgeoning population of Swedish immigrants — was not only crucial to the city’s history but also was a recognizable part of the neighborhood.
“If you stand at the corner of Lincoln (Street) and Orrington (Avenue) and you pan around, there is no intersection in Evanston like that,” she said. “To me there is nowhere else in the city that brings so much from the history of Evanston.”
At the meeting, a representative for Smithfield Properties declined to comment further on the issue, saying the company already had made its presentation to the commissioners at an earlier meeting.
Kirk Irwin, former chairmen of the Preservation Commission, gave a presentation on the building’s architectural style. He said its architecture was worth preserving since the building displayed exemplary Greco-Roman detail.
But some commissioners weren’t convinced of the building’s architectural merit. They said the building’s association with seminal cultural events — notably the influx of Swedish immigrants to the city — was greater evidence of its historical merit.
“It’s a pretty standard use of its architectural style,” said commissioner Michael Girard, adding he didn’t think the building reflected any significant architectural “innovation.”
About two dozen residents, one of the most potent forces behind the recommendation, attended the meeting to show their support for the designation.
When one of the commissioners asked the audience whether anyone had heard of resident opposition to the landmark designation, the answer was a resounding “no.”
Reach Mike Cherney at [email protected].
