A proposal to sell the naming rights of Chicago's Wrigley Field is being seen as a relaxation of the ballpark's historic landmark restrictions and may open the door for city-wide landmark designation challenges, according to this commentary.
"By arguing that the City of Chicago should 'relax' landmark restrictions on the ballpark, proponents of a deal that would have a state agency buy and renovate the park would undermine decades of carefully structured protection for Chicago's architectural treasures."
"The deal would almost surely embolden some property owners of landmark building throughout Chicago -- there are 259 individual landmarks and 49 landmark districts across the city, encompassing more than 9,000 properties -- to go back and challenge landmark status that the City Council had previously approved."
"And that would wreak havoc with legal protections for the city's architectural and historical treasures that were set up 40 years ago to safeguard such structures as Louis Sullivan's former Carson Pirie Scott & Co. store or Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House."
FULL STORY: Why Wrigley Field's landmark status should be preserved
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