Neighbors Sign Petition To Save Victorian Home From Demolition

CHICAGO, IL — A petition to save a Victorian home in Andersonville is gaining momentum. The home at 1441 Carmen Avenue is the only Victorian Queen Anne-style house in the neighborhood, and it's under threat of demolition, petition organizer Leyla Royale said. The home's owners have applied for a demolition permit, but it has not yet been accepted, the city said.

"It would be a huge shame to see it go," Royale said. "I know that a lot of other people really, really like the house."

As of Thursday morning, the Change.org petition that Royale created had gained more than 700 signatures.

Royale, who lives a few blocks from the Victorian home, said she's seen developers tear down many historical houses in Uptown and Andersonville. When she heard that 1441 Carmen was under threat of demolition, she reached out to Ald. Ameya Pawar's office and the Winona Foster Carmen Winnemac Block Club.

"I went to a meeting about it, and the consensus was that everyone wants to keep this house and prevent it from being torn down," Royale said.

The home received an Orange rating from the city, which marks it as a building that contains "some architectural feature or historical association" that makes it "potentially significant" in the context of the surrounding community. Around 9,600 properties are categorized as Orange in the city, including the Palmer House Hotel, Orchestra Hall and Chicago Athletic Club.

Records show that the home at 1441 Carmen was built between 1900 and 1910, but the exact date it's completion is unclear. A building permit for 1441 Carmen was issued in 1908, however that could have been for an extension on the home.

The home's owners applied for a demolition permit, and a 90-day hold was placed on the building, which was released on July 9, the city said. The city is currently in the process of issuing the demolition permit, and Royale said she wished she had started the petition sooner.

"To lose this structure would be to lose part of the beauty of the neighborhood," Royale wrote on the petition page.

More than 50 people commented on the page, many decrying the "sterile" look of "cookie-cutter condos" that often rise in the place of historical homes. Many commenters expressed their worry that Chicago neighborhoods will lose their character and uniqueness.

The home's current owners are hoping to sell the property to fund their retirement, according to neighbors who live in the area. Royale said she understands that many families need to sell such homes for financial reasons.

"I understand that, but I also just want to see if there's a chance we could work with the owners and work with the developer to find someone who's not going to tear the building down," Royale said. "Even if that's doing a full rehab and turning it into a single-family home."

Top image courtesy of Leyla Royale.