The immediate question is whether the Commission on Chicago Landmarks will give preliminary landmark status to architect John Vinci’s Lake View residence and studio at 3152 N. Cambridge Ave. at its Thursday meeting. The proposed designation would recognize the 1893 house, Vinci’s preservation work and the architecture firm he started there. Vinci, now 89, bought the two-story home in 1969 for $40,000.
According to WBEZ, the proposal covers the building’s exterior elevations and a brick garage Vinci designed. He started John Vinci-Lawrence Kenny with partner Lawrence “Larry” Kenny in the home’s dining room in 1969. The firm later worked on preserving and restoring buildings by Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Burnham & Root and other Chicago architects.
Vinci himself seems almost sheepish about the honor. “To be honest I'm sort of embarrassed,” he said of the designation, “but I think the house is worth it,” according to the same WBEZ report. He has also said he generally favors landmarking buildings for their architectural significance, a principle that now applies to his own front door.
A House Shaped by Its Owner
Vinci’s changes to the property are part of its story. In 2009, he replaced the original concrete porch and front steps with a steel version of his own design. The house also has a two-story bay window with curved glass on its south side. WBEZ reports that the proposed landmark report discusses Vinci’s renovation and restoration work.
The garage was rebuilt after the original frame structure burned in 1980. Vinci has said an arsonist set the fire; the brick replacement was built in 1981 by his bricklayer brothers and a cousin who worked as a carpenter, according to WBEZ.
The Home’s Place in Chicago Preservation
The house also became a meeting place for architects, preservationists and others involved in protecting Chicago’s architectural heritage. Rich Cahan, who has known Vinci since the late 1970s, told WBEZ that the home merits landmark status and credited Vinci with carrying forward the city’s preservation movement.
The movement’s history includes the death of Richard Nickel, a prominent preservationist, in 1972. Nickel was salvaging architectural materials from the Chicago Stock Exchange Building at 30 N. LaSalle St. as it was being demolished when the structure collapsed on him. WBEZ reports that Nickel had stopped at Vinci’s home to pick up a rope before going to the Stock Exchange. Bob Furhoff, who worked with Vinci to salvage the Stock Exchange’s trading room and reconstruct it at the Art Institute of Chicago, died in September at age 87.
A Preliminary Vote, Not a Final Designation
If the commission approves preliminary status, Vinci could become only the second Chicago architect landmarked while still residing in the home. A city spokesperson said the first was likely William Keck, who was 85 and living in the modernist Keck-Gottschalk-Keck Apartments when they were designated a landmark in 1994, according to WBEZ's reporting. The city's own Chicago Landmarks database describes that building, at 5551 S. University Ave., as a residence designed for architects William and George Fred Keck and professor Louis Gottschalk, calling it one of the city's earliest examples of modern architecture associated with the International Style.
Chicago’s landmark process does not require an owner’s consent to move forward. Owner consent is advisory, except for houses of worship, and a public hearing is held when an owner does not consent, according to the City of Chicago.
What Happens After a Preliminary Vote
A positive preliminary vote would start the consideration process, not designate the property as a landmark. The City of Chicago says the vote would give the commission authority to review building permits during that process. Final designation requires further commission and City Council steps.
