Chicago’s oldest and last remaining food market area received unanimous approval as a proposed Landmark District today by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, which will forward its recommendation to City Council for consideration.

“The Fulton-Randolph Market District represents more than 160 years of Chicago’s association with food-related manufacturing and distribution. The designation will help ensure this legacy continues to contribute to the character and economy of the Near West Side,” said Commission Chairman Rafael Leon.

Characterized by a rare ensemble of masonry commission houses, meatpacking buildings, and low-rise manufacturing and warehouse structures, the approximately 74-acre district is located along the 700 to 1000 blocks of West Randolph Street, the 100 to 300 blocks on North Sangamon Street, the 900 block of West Lake Street and the 800 to 1100 blocks on West Fulton Market Street.

The area initially grew as Chicago’s main food market with the construction of a market hall at Randolph and Des Plaines streets in 1850. The area subsequently flourished as a distribution point for raw and processed agricultural products from across the Midwest, with most area buildings being constructed between 1880 and the onset of the Great Depression.

The Commission issued a preliminary Landmark District recommendation for the area in April 2014. Since then, Commission staff hosted approximately two dozen meetings to inform local property owners about the purpose of the district and potential incentives for rehabilitation projects, such as historic tax credits, property tax reductions, permit fee waivers, and easement incentives.

The Commission’s recommendation was based on three of seven criteria required by Chicago’s municipal code for landmark designations. They included:

·         Criterion 1:  The area’s value as an example of city, state or national heritage

·         Criterion 4: Exemplary architecture

·         Criterion 6: Distinctive theme as a district

The area also met the Integrity Criterion, which requires district structures to convey historic community, architecture, and economic themes.

The district encompasses 142 properties, including 87 “contributing” buildings, 44 “non-contributing” buildings, and 11 vacant lots.

The district’s designation is subject to City Council approval, however its interim status as a proposed district requires ongoing construction and rehabilitation projects within its boundaries to be reviewed by the Department of Planning and Development’s (DPD) Historic Preservation Bureau, which serves as staff to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.

The reviews ensure contributing buildings are not demolished or significantly altered, and that new construction projects that involve non-contributing buildings and vacant lots are in context with the area’s character, said DPD Commissioner Andrew J. Mooney, who also serves as a Landmarks Commission member. More than 110 building permit applications have been reviewed and approved within the area in the last year, he said.

As with more than 50 other existing historic districts in Chicago, a City Council designation would be limited to the exterior elevations of properties to allow flexibility to adapt the interiors for new uses that align with market demands, Mooney added.

The Fulton-Randolph Historic District is a component of the Near West Side’s Fulton Market Innovation District, a 217-acre area designated by the Chicago Plan Commission in July 2014 to help foster the neighborhood’s growth as a haven for high-tech and innovative companies. The plan for the innovation district cited the area’s historic “urban authenticity” as a key component of continued private investment by new and existing companies.

The Landmarks Commission recommendation could be introduced to City Council in June.

# # #