Last Harold Ickes buildings come down

View from the train platform with Hilliard Homes on the left. Ickes used to be in the space in the middle.

The development was named after Harold L. Ickes, who was secretary of the Interior under Roosevelt. Ickes was from Pennsylvania, but came to Chicago when he was 16. He went to the University of Chicago and was later a reporter for the Tribune. He was a great civil rights advocate, and the man who invited African-American singer Marion Anderson to sing at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939 after she was not allowed to sing at the DAR Constitution hall because she was black.

I learned all of that from a group of third graders at the local school when they did a presentation on their community this spring.

Marian Anderson sings at the Lincoln Memorial

There are still three Ickes buildings in use - 2310 and 2320 S. State and 44 W. 24th street. They won't be there for much longer. CHA says all the buildings will be gone by the end of 2010.

After taking a look at the last buildings, I took a walk over to Quinn Chapel at 24th and Wabash.

Here are a few pictures of the final days of demolition:



 

View from State Street

This one's a little grainy, but you can still see the pictures from someone's apartment left on the wall. It's touches like this that make it still seem like a building someone actually lived in.

My friend Audrey Johnson told me about Quinn Chapel. It's her favorite neighborhood landmark. I rudely interrupted the church secretary, Lydia, and she gave me an impromptu tour.

Quinn Chapel at the corner of 24th and Wabash

The church building was erected in 1892, but the congregation has been a part of the community for over 150 years. They have an amazing history - they were a stop on the underground railroad, have hosted three presidents, was the only community forum to allow suffragist Susan B. Anthony to speak when she came to Chicago, had Martin Luther King Jr. and his family attend and speak, and the list goes on.

Quinn's Sanctuary

Famous mural featuring a black Jesus and Mary. The angel's faces are said to be modeled after the pastor's children.

Stained glass windows at Quinn Chapel

The building is huge, designed for a congregation of more than a thousand. As the neighborhood changed, Lydia told me, more and more rich and important people moved out, and the congregation shrank. They're now growing again and have a regular attendance of around 300 on Sundays. They're working to reach out to their community and help people in need. When I arrived, they were handing out grocery bags of food for their weekly food pantry.

Lydia said they're in the process of raising $9 million dollars to fully renovate the building.

Ickes, built in 1955, was around for just over 50 years. Quinn Chapel is still kicking after 117.

Lose one landmark, gain another.