Wicker Park Lutheran Building Friends
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Mission Statement
Wicker Park Lutheran Building Friends exists as an organization to preserve, restore, maintain and enhance the historic landmark building at 1500 N Hoyne Avenue, Chicago, IL. through fundraising, education, and public awareness.
About This Cause
ABOUT US Wicker Park Lutheran Building Friends (WPLBF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2023 as a non-religious nonprofit to support the preservation, restoration, maintenance, and enhancement of the historic landmark building at 1500 N Hoyne Avenue, Chicago, IL. through fundraising, education, and public awareness. We also strive to support in making the building a community resource to any and all people in Wicker Park and Chicago. Historic Building The current structure was erected in 1906. It boasts a basilica design, with double colonnades and an apse, a style used in ancient Rome for courts of law or places of public assembly. It is characterized by the use of the round arch and vaulted ceiling, differing from the Gothic style which made use of a pointed arch. The two towers are based on those of Abbey of Sainte-Trinité (the Holy Trinity), also known as Abbaye aux Dames, in Caen, France, which was built in the 11th century. Community Hub in Historic Wicker Park The building is available as an affordable space for the greater Wicker Park, Humboldt Park, and Logan Square communities. The building has been host to public concerts, art exhibits, and many community groups, including multiple choral groups, 12-step meetings, karate classes, a homeschool co-op, theaters, two multi-ethnic churches, an art-based summer and day-off camp, classical concerts, organ recitals, and many more! Economic Impact The Economic Halo Effect Study, developed by Partners for Sacred Places and the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice, employs 20+ measures to quantify the full range of economic impact that congregations have on their communities. Based on this study, the building generates $2,005,354 in annual economic impact. FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN - "A PLACE FOR ALL" Together with our partners at Wicker Park Lutheran Church, we are raising funds to improve, restore, and make better use of the community space in the building. WPLBF endeavors to aid in only the non-religious aspects of this campaign called "A Place for All." Designated gifts through benevity by naming "A Place for All" or "Capital Campaign" with your gift. History Throughout the construction, the historic building envelope will remain unchanged and there will not be any structural additions to the building. Minor modifications may be made to entrance sizes improve A.D.A. accessibility. All work will comply with the best practices for historic development as indicated by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the treatment of historic properties along with all historic preservation standards and requirements in Chicago and the Wicker Park historic district. Inclusion Phase II of the campaign has a large focus on inclusion by providing an A.D.A. accessible entrance to the building as well as greater mobility throughout the building. An accessible bathroom will be added to the main floor and family friendly, all-gender restrooms will be added to the lower floor. Community All improvements made to the building are being done with the community and neighbors in mind. Changes to enhance the interior spaces have been planned with current and future community use in mind. The phasing of the construction has also taken into account the current space use groups to ensure community use of the building can continue during the construction phases of the campaign. The Campaign Thus Far Phase I of the capital campaign included two primary enhancements to the building and exterior space: -- Upgrading the water line -- Construction of the Gathering Garden The water line upgrade was performed to allow for future improvements to the building to proceed and meet city requirements. The opportunity was then taken to improve the exterior of the building to encourage community and provide a gathering space for the community. The Current Phase Phase II of the campaign includes three primary improvements to the building: Welcome diversity with an elevator and ADA-accessible, gender-neutral bathrooms Preserve and restore the historic architecture including our Rose Window, and Enhance community spaces. Work will include: -- An accessible at-grade entrance, -- A new ADA-compliant staircase, -- An elevator, -- An accessible main floor restroom and family-friendly, all-gender, private restrooms on the lower-level. -- Restoration of the lower-level windows and historic Rose Window -- Waterproofing the basement and reworking the sewer to better seal the building’s envelope to create more efficient community spaces and preservation of the historic building. The Future of the Campaign Future phases of construction will focus on enhancing the current spaces used by the community, including both distinct and flexible meeting spaces. It will also include a commercial-grade kitchen and a central hallway. The central hallway will act as an art gallery space for local artists, better support our community closet to provide free items to those in need, and will have a variety of gathering nooks before larger meetings and events in the meeting spaces. More information about this campaign can be found at www.wplbf.org/aplaceforall