late 19th century queen anne-style "edward uihlein building" in the west loop inches closer to demolition

the glow of a stormy sky reflected the situation perfectly: at the intersection of lake, ogden and loomis, a queen anne style structure (and long-time residence of the italian restaurant "la luce") is slated to be reduced to a pile of rubble. the ornate four-story building was constructed in the early 1890's, and is not only a rare and irreplaceable element of the surrounding urban fabric, but represents a historically important building whose destruction would be nothing short of a travesty.

the city released this building from the demolition hold list, meaning that destruction could be underway in the near future. it seems the function this list was supposed to serve (i.e. to buy time for historic properties to find alternatives to wrecking), will fail 1393-1399 w. lake street.  the masonry structure adorned with a rounded turret, copper and tin detailing, and figural weathervane could all come down this summer. it remains unclear why the 19th century building did not receive working protections, but it means that another century's construction will likely be transformed into a condo, a parking lot, or any manner of new and characterless constructions.

city directories paint a hazy picture of early occupants, with earliest listings for the site going back to 1886, during which time insurance maps depict the block as relatively empty, the corner lot occupied by a long wooden structure, and a neighboring lot empty except for a rear stable. at this point in time, the (formerly numbered) 479 w. lake lot potentially contained a saloon, since fred jacobs is listed there, and it had at least one other resident, a physician named enoch bergstrom.

in 1891 the lot and building at the southwest corner of lake street and sheldon was sold from l. schreiber to e.g. uihlein, a 22 x 125 wood frame building, for $4600. l. schreiber was a druggist, suggesting that if not a saloon, perhaps the building served as a pharmacy of some sort. after the sale, in fact, the new building owner, e.g. uihlein, was a storied chicagoan, who purchased a number of buildings around the city and held various odd occupations during his lifetime. edward uihlein was born in germany and emigrated to the united states in 1864. he arrived to chicago several years later and went into the oil and spare parts business before, in 1872, he became general agent of the joseph schlitz brewing company (working alongside his three brothers). edward later took over as vice president of slot brewery. this business potentially explains the purchase of 479 w. lake street, as he was purportedly hired to expand brewery bound restaurants (and concentrated on german neighborhoods in expansion of these slot-pubs). in the 1890's, uihlein additionally served as a west chicago park commissioner. with an ardent interest in landscape architecture, uihlein used the wealth he had gained as a brewer to buy a large residence in wicker park, at 2041 west pierce avenue (since demolished). there, he amassed a huge collection of tropical palms and built a large domed conservatory to house his rare plants from around the globe. the collection included 5,000 of the world's rarest orchids, and the greenhouse structure was known as the largest private conservatory in the city. uihlein is described as having driven the expansion of urban parks while simultaneously serving as vice president of the chicago horticultural society, and entering his many plants into horticultural contests. in 1893, he even provided the horticultural hall at the world's columbian exposition with the majority of its flowers and shrubs.

uihlein must have built the existing masonry structure in the year or two following purchase of schreiber's wood frame building. the newer structure seems to have housed a man named frank shafer (a dealer of coal and wood), and a student at hammond elementary school, but otherwise little information on occupants is available. however, edward uihlein's history might suggest the street level of the building continued to be used as a saloon or restaurant.

much remains unknown about the fate of this building, which dates to the construction of the "l" along lake street. one can only hope it will be well-documented and researched before it meets an untimely demise.