While former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is at the Dirksen Federal Building facing a pool of jurors who weren't swayed by his recent charm offensive, another of his blatant panderings to voters has come back to rear its ugly head. Remember the $1 million Blagojevich promised to Pilgrim Baptist Church in 2006 so the legendary church could rebuild? The $1 million that Pilgrim Baptist never received because it went to a school that rented space from the church? It appears as though the state's efforts to reclaim that money only managed to recover $89,687. Yay. more ›

Eighteen minutes can wipe away a century of history. Back in 2006, that is all it took to erase huge swaths of this city’s cultural and architectural legacy when a fire tore through the Pilgrim Baptist Church at 33rd and Indiana. Five years later, its fragile shell is supported by steel beams, but little else has materialized from grand plans to bring the building back. But a new plan with a phased approach and clearer vision has us optimistic that something will happen soon…finally… more ›

The saga of the Loop Lab school looks like it may be solved. And it doesn't look good for the state getting it's money back in spite of an earlier ruling. If you remember, then-governor Blagojevich intended for the money to go to the recently burned down Pilgrim Baptist Church but it seems he mistakenly promised it to Elmira Mayes, who was then leading the Loop Lab School which had been renting space at the church at the time of the fire. After a lot of confusion, the school took the money to buy a new space downtown but then flipped the property. Even shadier, the school's leader, Chandra Gill, had been the recipient of a Blago pardon. Lisa Madigan eventually sued the school and the school eventually agreed to repay the state. But an audit by the Illinois Auditor General's office shows that it's very unlikely the state will see that money, calling out the Blago administration for "a lack of due diligence" on its "bureaucratic mistake." more ›

Finally, a hearing has been set in the case of the Loop Lab School, which may find itself having to pay back $1 million in grant money in may or may not have been given by mistake. Way back in '06, after Pilgrim Baptist Church burned down, then-governor Rod Blagojevich claimed he pledged the cool million to the church to help rebuild. At the time, the Loop Lab school was renting space in the church and burned along with it. But then-leader of the school, Elmira Mayes, claims Blago made the promise to her. To add another layer of intrigue, the school's current leader, Chandra Gill, was the recipient of a Blago pardon. more ›

Brenda Asare, who will lead the fundraising efforts, said she hopes to collect 75 percent of the $37 million from donors who contribute $100,000 or more. Asare, senior vice president and Midwest division manager for The Alford Group, a consulting company for non-profits, said the recent economic downturn will make her job tough.

Governor Blagojevich is in hot water over what he deems a "bureaucratic" mistake which gave a school $1 million dollars intended for a historic, burned-down church. In the midst of his re-election campaign, Blago pledged to give $1 million to Pilgrim Baptist Church, which was destroyed by a January 2006 fire. At the time, the Loop Lab School was renting space in the church and now, Elmira Mayes, leader of the school, is contradicting Blago's claim of a mistake, saying he personally promised her money for the school.

Mayes said the governor visited the fire site and talked with her as she was sifting through debris from her burned-out school, which had rented space from the church. She did not recall the governor's exact words but "he told me he would help build the school and give $1 million."

The Illinois House voted 105-0 yesterday to order the chief auditor to investigate how the Blagojevich administration apparently gave $1 million to the wrong organization. Instead of going to the Pilgrim Baptist Church to help rebuild their school after a fire, the money went to Loop Lab School, which had been using Pilgrim Baptist facilities before the fire but isn't affiliated with the church. more ›

Governor Blagojevich promised $1 million to help rebuild Pilgrim Baptist Church after it burned down in 2006. But church officials say they haven't seen a dime, and even Blago's office admits the money went to an unrelated school that rented space from the church. They were sticking with that story until other local politicians jumped in to call Blago a liar and an opportunist, at which point our governor said he'd find another $1 million to actually give to the church. more ›

It’s the beginning of the year, and that means it’s time for architectural institution Preservation Chicago to unveil its picks of the seven most endangered buildings in the city, colloquially known as the Chicago 7. We’re always interested to see what buildings, structures or districts the little-organization-that-could deems worthy of its annual list. The finalists: North Avenue Bridge. We mistakenly believed this was the bridge someone asked Chicagoist about last week, but 'tis not the... more ›

Tony Kerasotes, of Kerasotes Theatres, said he didn't want to show Stomp the Yard in any of his Springfield thaters because it could attract gang members. He's since had a change of heart and will show the movie starting on Friday at more than 40 Kerasotes-owned locations. If you couldn't afford Chicago's most expensive restaurants before, you really won't be able to afford them now. The Chicago-based Johnson and Lee architecture firm will be... more ›

Guess what happened one year ago today? We forgive you if it doesn't come immediately off the top of your head; after all, we may be a little biased. Give up? It's the one-year anniversary of the (near) death of Pilgrim Baptist Church. more ›

No. 8 is "Pilgrim Baptist Church fire" by The New No. 2. more ›

Although many members of our staff are involved in noteworthy projects outside of our daily blogging duties, we generally don’t report on everything we do, reserving our self-coverage to only the coolest activites. Rachelle Bowden on "Eight Forty-Eight"? Cool. Scott Smith on "Chicago Tonight"? Trés Fab. Shannon Saar’s intricate ode to Louis Sullivan in gingerbread form? Well, that’s worth telling you about. Shannon, who writes on the weekend shifts and is one of our... more ›

For the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, the answer is simple: put down the blowtorch. This year, two high-profile historic buildings have been destroyed by torch-related accidents. The Pilgrim Baptist Church, a centenarian Adler and Sullivan beauty, smoldered in January, and just a few weeks ago, scrap workers accidentally torched the Wirt Dexter Building using the same tool. The LPC calls for new laws restricting such cutting and welding operations at historic sites. Beyond these... more ›

Exhibit A: Pilgrim Baptist Church Location: 3301 S. Indiana Avenue Built: 1890-91 Notable facts: Originally built by Louis Sullivan and his partner, Dankmar Adler, as the Kehilath Anshe Ma'ariv synagogue. Became the Pilgrim Baptist Church in 1922. Often called the birthplace of gospel music, due to musical director Thomas Dorsey. Designated as a Chicago landmark: Dec. 18, 1981 Fate: Destroyed by fire, Jan. 6, 2006. Caused by workers doing roof restoration. Future: Possible rebuilding. Exterior... more ›

Tomorrow night at 6pm, the Chicago Architecture Foundation is hosting a discussion on the lost Chicago landmark, Pilgrim Baptist Church, at the ArchiCenter in the Santa Fe Building (224 S. Michigan Ave.). The discussion is focusing on both the architectural and the historical significance of the church as well as efforts to rebuild. more ›

Earlier this year, Chicagoist wondered if 2006 would be a bad year for architecture. Well, it’s not getting much better. The Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois released its annual list of the state’s 10 most-endangered historic places today, and this year, there’s 11. The Pilgrim Baptist Church received a “special 11th designation because of the challenging nature of its proposed preservation plans.” more ›

Georgia Jackson, Parishioner, Pilgrim Baptist more ›

It’s cliché to say a newsworthy tragedy resembles something from a movie but if the recent Pilgrim Baptist Church fire looked like a scene from Towering Inferno or even Backdraft, the ensuing investigation and multiple explanations resemble Rashomon. So says Mary Haderlein, the PR rep for Conrad Roofing and Construction, whose subcontractors have been blamed for starting the blaze and abandoning the scene. A church official witnessed the two roofers sent by Conrad fleeing to... more ›

• In Park Ridge they're adding signs below some stop signs that say "Stop Means Stop." If that doesn't work then maybe they can add another sign under that saying "Dammit, we mean it, STOP!!"
• A Charlotte news station did an article about all the Chicago restaurants in their town as the Panthers look to the Bears playoff game this weekend.
• A couple local art gallery owners are in deep doo for smuggling protected artifacts - you know like carved elephant tusks and ceremonial headdresses made from feathers of endangered birds and a carved shell of an endangered sea turtle.

Last night a fire tore through the Wynant House in Gary, Indiana, an uninhabited Frank Lloyd Wright landmark whose long-uncertain fate was quickly and cruelly realized. The good news is that no one was injured or killed and since the fire worked quickly, we presume the house felt no pain either. The bad news for architecture buffs is that two major area landmarks have been wiped off the map in less than a week. more ›

Despite the fire on Friday that destroyed their historic 115-year-old church building, several hundred members of Pilgrim Baptist Church held their regular worship service yesterday morning thanks to Rev. Jesse Jackson, who allowed them the use of Operation Rainbow PUSH's headquarters for the service. Starting next week, the congregation will meet at their community center, which is located across the street from where their church once stood. more ›

A hugeass fire ripped through a landmark church on the South Side today and destroyed it. Pilgrim Baptist Church was designed by the famous architectural firm Adler & Sullivan and was about 114 years old. Originally built as a synagogue, the church was a landmarked building that was totalled today when a fire collapsed the church's roof and then gutted its insides. more ›