A proposal by Symmetry Property Development to build a 60-storey mixed-use hotel and residence tower at 42-48 E Superior St in Chicago's River North has spurred concern amongs local heritage supporters who fear the project will threaten a row of historic structures within what they refer to as the historic "McCormickville" district, a part of the city that has been proposed to receive a historic designation owing to the hastening speed of demolitions that have occurred in the area over the last several years. Pertaining to a collection of 19th-century, Italianate rowhouses, and perhaps affecting local favourite Giordano's, a popular restaurant located within a handsome early 20th-century warehouse building, the current development proposal could potentially wipe out an entire block's worth of historic structures, hence the level of alarm sounded by local preservation groups. 

42-48 E Superior, image via Symmetry Property Development

The rowhouses have been the subject of local concern twice before, though developers' efforts have been thwarted time and again by resistance headed by Alderman Reilly. According to Curbed, Reilly and local heritage supporters were able to successfully make the claim that the area could not support such large-scale development, especially within an area of the city that has historically had trouble building the type of new builds that promote smart urban growth. 

Left side of the street, from historic rowhouses to the red-bricked Giordano's, under threat, image via Google Maps

As captured in the image above, the local streetscape could benefit from saving the historic buildings, as their presence is an effective foil against the imposing monolithic building typologies (such as the parking garage directly across the street) that threaten to replace them. While the mixed-use tower could potentially remediate some of the damage dealt to the streetscape by including street-level retail or other services, there could never be the same level of architectural charm and variety, not to mention fine-grain retail, that would be erased by the development. A real threat in Chicago, where above-ground, podium-level parking is the norm, the potential for yet another streetscape-deadening parking garage has also been at the base of local concerns over what type of development makes sense for the heavily pedestrian, urban neighbourhood. 

Members of the public will be able to voice their concerns on March 13th at 6PM, at the Sofitel Chicago (20 E Chestnut St), at a public consultation that will include Alderman Reilly and the River North Residents Association.

SkyriseCities will be sure to return to this project as the story continues to develop. For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.