Goldberg's Prentice gets reprieve as National Trust, Landmarks Illinois file suit to reinstate Landmark Designation

Update:  Cook County Judge Neil Cohen ruled that preliminary landmark status is effect for Prentice until another hearing is held December 7th.

This morning, lawyers representing the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Landmarks Illinois filed a lawsuit in Cook County District Court challenging the Commission on Chicago Landmarks' revocation of preliminary landmark designation for Bertrand Goldberg's Prentice Hospital only hours after the Commission voted unanimously to grant that designation in the same November 1st meeting. The lawsuit charges the Commission with acting beyond its legal authority in going beyond defined landmarks criteria to also consider economic conditions, which the suit claims is the legal purview of the Chicago City Council. The suit also contends the Commission violated the landmarks ordinance by not providing public hearings on the preliminary designation as defined by the ordinance.  You can view the entire complaint, uploaded to Scribd by Crain's Real Estate Daily, here.

The winners of a Chicago Architectural Club design competition for ideas for reuse of the Bertrand Goldberg building will be announced this evening, with an exhibition of the entries to open tomorrow at the Chicago Architecture Foundation.