Evanston’s Preservation Commission voted unanimously to begin the process of nominating Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center as a local landmark at a special meeting Thursday night.
The meeting is the next step in determining its future after the city’s decision to relocate its operations downtown to 909 Davis St., a move that will be completed by April 1.
Most recently, City Council voted 7-1 on potentially eliminating the Civic Center from consideration for future city operations at its Feb. 10 meeting. The position terminates the city’s relationship with the building after 50 years of housing Evanston civics and politics.
The movement to landmark the Civic Center is 20 years in the making. The commission determined the property’s eligibility for local landmark designation back in 2005, and it has been listed under the National Register of Historic Places since 2006.
Nominations must be submitted to the Preservation Commission through an official form. The commission must then hold a public hearing within 90 days of receiving the form to host a “fact-finding engagement” to discuss the historical merits of designating the landmark, according to Preservation Planner Cade Sterling.
Commissioners voted unanimously to propose crafting a nomination form with local historian Mary McWilliams, one of the advocates for the center’s landmark nomination. She has researched the Civic Center’s history, including its time as Marywood Academy, a Catholic girls’ school.
After the hearing, the commissioners have 70 days to prepare a report to City Council that either recommends or denies landmark nomination. Finally, the council must reject or designate the landmark within 120 days.
Throughout the entire process, interim protections are put in place to protect the property. Proposals for new construction, alterations and demolition must request certificates of appropriateness.
Sterling, along with the commissioners, noted that preserving the building would align with Evanston’s sustainability goals and would open up opportunities for housing development.
“I just don’t see an example where somebody doesn’t go after that really large carrot, and then it just makes the landmark nomination more of a celebration and honor in this building’s past,” Sterling said.
Due to the building’s listing under the National Register of Historic Places, developers may receive tax credits between $10 to $15 million, which provide opportunities to adapt larger structures, Sterling added.
Commissioners also strategized over the most effective ways to pass the nomination smoothly to City Council, including by dispelling myths of the consequences of landmark designation.
Commissioner Sarah Dreller emphasized that landmark designation does not necessarily dictate that owners cannot redevelop the structure in any way or lose property value.
“Somebody could add something to the back of this building in such a way that it wouldn’t seem too out of place,” Dreller said. “We’re not saying just because it’s a landmark, they can’t do it.”
Throughout the meeting, the commissioners and residents cited the Civic Center’s historically and culturally significant aspects to justify its landmark designation. Resident Julie Cowan pushed the case for preserving Evanston’s architectural heritage through the Civic Center.
Joan Safford, an Evanston resident, called for the center’s preservation because of its historic significance to Evanston’s women, as it has a rich history as a girls’ educational institution and oversaw the city’s political milestones in female representation.
“The fact that it reflects so much women’s history and is named after Lorraine Morton, if the city does not return to this spot, any developer will have as much trouble changing the name of Morton as they did changing the name of the Sears Tower,” Safford said.
The idea drew agreement from multiple commission members, who saw it as a cultural keystone for the building’s significance.
Lastly, commissioners made the case to preserve the Civic Center because of its status as the seat of city politics for the last 50 years. Commissioner John Jacobs argued to preserve the building due to its status as the only dedicated City Council building in Evanston’s history that still stands.
“We need this one, even if the city is vacating it, for civic pride,” Jacobs said.
Email: MarisaGuerraEcheverria2027@u.northwestern.edu
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