St. Adalbert Church is closer to becoming an official Chicago landmark, though the Pilsen church may be the only part of the parish complex to notch that status.
The City Council’s Zoning Committee on Tuesday voted to approve landmark status for St. Adalbert Church, after a nearly yearlong stall in the landmarking process. But only the church received landmark status — and not its surrounding structures, which include a school, convent and rectory. That’s because a substituted ordinance was put to council vote, a surprise for some of the church’s preservation advocates.
With only a portion of the complex being considered for landmark status, the other buildings could face demolition.
“We are actually very confused,” said Julie Sawicki, president of the Society of St. Adalbert, which wants to acquire the church complex and maintain it as a Catholic shrine. “We haven’t seen the substitute ordinance, and I think it should be something that is not done by a backdoor deal. It should be something that the community gets to review in advance and have an opportunity to comment on.”
A final vote by the City Council is expected to take place Wednesday.
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks voted unanimously in June 2024 to landmark the St. Adalbert parish complex, which spans from 1622-58 W. 17th St. to 1633-59 W. 16th St..
The 111-year-old vacant building, built in the Renaissance Revival style, was constructed by Polish immigrants. The Archdiocese of Chicago closed the church in 2019, but St. Adalbert has maintained a supportive base that wants to see the piece of Polish and Latino cultures recognized as a landmark.
But those efforts were stalled in 2024 when the Zoning Committee deferred a landmark vote for a year, giving all parties a chance to find a solution that preserves the church and revitalizes the campus.
During Tuesday’s lengthy public comment session, former parishioners and Pilsen residents spoke against the updated landmark proposal, arguing that the four-building campus should be landmarked and preserved. Sawicki’s group wants to convert the parish’s convent into a retreat house, which would generate the revenue necessary for maintaining the property.
“We now have a pope from Chicago,” Sawicki told the Sun-Times after the meeting. “We’re going to see a ton of tourists — Catholic tourists — coming here. They could stay in a retreat house.”
Others in the community spoke in favor of the narrow landmark vote, arguing that it would still drive more investment to Pilsen. The People Church, a non-denominational church led by Chris and Audrey Carmona, have proposed purchasing the property to host its services at the church. But their plans would include demolishing St. Adalbert’s rectory and convent, according to Sawicki.
The People Church, which has the support of the Archdiocese, would demolish those buildings to build a community and youth center, according to Block Club Chicago.
People Church and the Archdiocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some parishioners of St. Paul’s Church, which absorbed St. Adalbert’s congregation, previously said they opposed the initial landmark status because of the financial burden it would put on the parish. Several St. Paul’s parishioners said Tuesday that they support the amended plans to only landmark the church.
Mary Gonzalez, a lifelong Pilsen resident and leader at St. Paul’s, said the church has been responsible for the maintenance of St. Adalbert. The parishioners have witnessed everything from break-ins to fires and are worried about the “dilapidated conditions” of some of the buildings.
“This idea that the People’s Church brings to us is an idea to reinvest,” Gonzalez said. “We totally support … an amended landmarking so that People’s Church can come in and invest what they have promised us that they will.”
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), whose ward includes the church, expressed his support for the compromise during the meeting, as did Preservation Chicago.
Sigcho-Lopez said the amended landmark will achieve two goals: Preserving St. Adalbert as a “beautiful landmark” and protecting the parish complex from further decay.
“The best we can do is to find a sacred, respectful use that will maintain a faith-based institution,” Sigcho-Lopez said. “We have rejected previous proposals, but this is a deadline today for a compromise.”