A nearly 100-unit apartment building on Bryn Mawr Avenue in Edgewater, Chicago, could be derailed due to the city’s attempts to landmark the street’s historic business corridor. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks granted a preliminary landmark recommendation for the Bryn Mawr Historic District in April.

Landmark Status and Development Plans

The proposed landmark district spans Bryn Mawr Avenue from Broadway to Sheridan Road, including notable buildings like the Edgewater Beach Apartments and Belle Shore Apartment Hotel. Developer Harlem Irving Companies wants to demolish three buildings along Bryn Mawr Avenue to build a six-story, mixed-use apartment building with 95 apartments and about 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

The landmarks commission approved demolition permits for two of the buildings but preliminarily denied the permit for 1114 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., which is considered a contributing building to the proposed historic district. Harlem Irving Companies argues that the building does not have characteristics of Classical Revival style except for the cornices and that its demolition is necessary for the project to move forward.

Next Steps and Potential Consequences

The landmarks commission will give its final recommendation on the demolition permit in July. If the commission denies the permit, Harlem Irving Companies may request a hearing to reconsider the denial based on economic hardship. The company has already spent $6 million on the proposed development site since buying it in 2020 and claims that altering the project to exclude the 1114 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. site would not be economically feasible.

Original reporting: Block Club Chicago — read the source article.