CHICAGO — A Wicker Park couple says the city's refusal to let them knock down an exterior staircase at their home is keeping them from getting it on TV and making money.
George Menninger and Ann Cheeseman have sought the city Landmark Commission's permission to remove the staircase, which they say is "dangerous," but were denied in May. At a public hearing Wednesday, they argued the staircase is an economic hardship that keeps them from earning money by loaning out the home for filming.
City approval is needed to remove the stairs since the home is in Wicker Park's Historic Landmark District.
Menninger argued he and Cheeseman are being treated differently than the Cubs, citing a December meeting where Chicago Landmarks voted to allow the Cubs to change signs at Wrigley Field to qualify for a tax break. The city denied that the Wrigley Field ruling was based on economic hardship sustained by the Cubs.
Kelly Bauer says they wanted the next hearing to be at their home:
Commissioner Mary Ann Smith of Chicago Landmarks, who voted to approve the Wrigley Field changes referred to by Menninger, denied Menninger's request to have a discussion about his economic impact concerns at Wednesday's hearing.
The wooden stairs are nearly 10½ feet high and 6 feet wide. They go up to a door that is being used as a window, with the family's entryway on the first floor. Menninger and Cheeseman said this makes the home look like a two-flat, while film scouts want single-family homes.
Menninger and Cheeseman said they have spoken to neighbors and a single day of loaning out a home in Wicker Park for shooting typically brings homeowners $4,000. Wicker Park is a popular spot for filming, with "Chiraq" shooting there last week. TV shows like "Chicago P.D." and "Chicago Fire" have featured the neighborhood, too.
But removing the stairs would have an "adverse effect on a significant feature of the landmark," according to a letter from the landmarks panel's Permit Review Committee.
Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) has expressed support for removing the stairs. Paul Dickman, a member of the Wicker Park Committee's Preservation and Development subcommittee, said the group "could survive the loss of the stairs" if other elements of the building — like the appearance of a doorway on the upper floor — were left intact.
But the city's Landmark Commission denied Menninger and Cheeseman's building permit request in late May, leading to their hearing Wednesday. The next Landmarks Commission hearing on the staircase is July 14.
Letter from landmarks panel's Permit Review Committee:
1937 W Evergreen Preliminary Denial - May 1 2015
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