Alderman Brendan Reilly emails:
664 N. Michigan Avenue-Farwell Building
Emergency repair work at the Farwell Building has necessitated closure of adjoining sidewalks on Michigan Avenue and Erie Street. The sidewalks will be closed on the west side of Michigan Avenue between Erie and Huron and on the north side of Erie between Michigan Avenue and Rush Street. The duration of the closure has yet to be determined.
What the heck is that all about?
The 11-story Farwell Building represents one of the few remaining buildings left on Michigan Avenue from the 1920’s, the period that transformed sleepy residential Pine Street into “The Magnificent Mile.” This French inspired design, highlighted with both Art Deco and Classical Revival details, exemplified the work of architect Philip Maher. Clad in limestone, the building features ornamental cast stone panels and a slate mansard roof. Its delicate scale elegantly anchors the prominent corner of Erie Street and Michigan Avenue. In addition, Maher designed 5 other buildings on the boulevard including the Women’s Athletic Club, which is also a city landmark. These remaining buildings reflect the aesthetic of the 1909 Burnham Plan, which was an attempt to turn our gritty industrial town into the “Paris by the Lake”.
and I wonder if the emergency construction is related to this:
A line in the sand has been drawn between preservationists and developers. That line is represented by the historic Farwell Building, located in the heart of the Magnificient Mile, where the Prism Development Company plans to skin the building’s historic façade, demolish the entire building, and then reapply it to a parking garage.