Chicago’s record of building well-designed, affordable rental housing has been mixed — at best — over the past century.
Too often, we either get a nice-looking rental that prices out the young folk, working families and seniors, or they’re residences that might be priced right but have the design grace of a milk crate.
But not South Park Terrace Apartments.
Built in 1905, at 6116 S. King Drive, the two-story, 52-unit Prairie School-styled complex enlivens the boulevard with its blonde brick facade, arched entrances and glazed white terra cotta trim.
South Park Terrace’s main entry arch leads from the sidewalk to the building’s best feature: A large courtyard garden ringed by apartments.
Halle Berry’s character, Khaila Richards, lived at South Park Terrace in the 1995 film “Losing Isaiah.”
The property is as beautiful as they come. But behind the pretty facade, many of its residents lived in deplorable conditions because the building’s owners collected rent and did little else.
A portion of South Park Terrace caught fire more than three months ago. Burn marks on the facade’s brickwork are visible around boarded-up windows on the building’s second floor.
Things got so bad, on June 11 the city ordered residents to leave the building’s middle tier — with only two days’ notice.
More residents had to leave the building Wednesday.
“Ownership completely abandoned the building, allowing the property to go into foreclosure, and conditions continued to deteriorate to the point of imminent danger to the community,” the city’s Department of Buildings said in a statement.
That the owners, listed in Cook County tax records as 6116 MLK LLC out of Brooklyn, New York, allowed tenants to live in such conditions is an outrage.
And that it would occur in a landmark-quality building where Chicagoans could live affordably — an increasingly rare thing in the city — makes it more infuriating.
A touch of Wright and a hint of mystery
South Park Terrace was designed by Harry Hale Waterman, an associate of Frank Lloyd Wright. And it’s a near twin of Wright’s Francisco Terrace Apartments — right down to the center arch and courtyard — that was built 10 years earlier at 253-257 N. Francisco Ave.
Both buildings were an attempt to provide attractive working-class rental housing that also gave residents open space and natural light.
Did Waterman, a top Chicago architect, rip off Francisco Terrace?
“We know Wright knew Waterman from [Wright’s] earliest days in Chicago. Perhaps there was an understanding between them,” said author and Chicago historian Tim Samuelson, who has researched the histories of the two buildings.
“Or maybe not,” Samuelson said. “Who knows? We’ll probably never know.”
Meanwhile, South Park Terrace has a carbon copy: Washington Park Terrace, 6160-6212 S. King Drive, built in 1909 and designed by architect Douglas S. Pentecost.
While Francisco Terrace was developed by Edward C. Waller, South Park Terrace and Washington Park Terrace were built by investor Thomas E. Wells. His initials are molded into terra cotta medallions that flank the entry arch of both buildings.
And there’s even a third Francisco Terrace clone, built after the original was wrecked in 1974.
Architect Ben Weese and real estate mogul John Baird built a new condominium version of the building on Lake Street in Oak Park, using the original structure’s terra cotta detailing and entry arch.
Samuelson said Francisco Terrace was an unusual building for a developer to want to duplicate in the early 1900s.
“The era’s typical apartment developers tried to squeeze as much rental income as possible out of every square foot of land,” he said. “These types of buildings required a huge piece of land, with much of it devoted to providing tenants with an abundance of light, fresh air and the rare luxury of a central landscaped courtyard.”
What’s next?
South Park Terrace’s apartments fell into disrepair and wound up in foreclosure court. City building inspectors in 2023 found an array of problems, including water leaks and rot, cracks and holes in the building’s floors.
“All day long it’s about safety,” 20th Ward Ald. Jeanette Taylor told ABC7 last week. “If you walk in some of those apartments, it’s heartbreaking. I had to take a moment.”
The building and its tenants deserve far better than this.
“What people have said that live in the community is that it’s been unfair to the residents there to give them a two-day notice and they have to leave,” said Cecilia Butler, president of the Washington Park Residents’ Advocacy Council.
The building now has a court-appointed receiver who hopefully will have the capability to get the building sorted out and occupied again.
And it’s needed. South Park Terrace is excellent housing designed for workday folk. It’s situated along a major CTA bus route and two blocks from the King Drive stop on the Green Line.
A new owner could seek landmark status for the building, which opens the door to tax incentives that would make it financially easier to rehab the building.
Something has to happen.
A building like South Park Terrace would be celebrated if it were built today. Now’s the time to get the structure rehabbed, reoccupied — not gentrified — and put back into use with a responsible new owner.
