CHICAGO | General Discussions

[Rizzo]

I’m inclined to say a permit is required for masonry repairs in this case because it’s a landmark district. Just about everyone else wouldn’t need one if they aren’t obstructing public ROW and creating a mess.

[BrinChi]

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright

^^^ Either type will work, type O is basically what they would have used for everything 100 years ago. But it's very soft and doesn't need to be THAT soft. So it's OK to have a small amount of Cement in there and go with N.

For my buildings I use Type O when it's just patching empty joints. It cleans up better and is super easy to work with. If there lintel work, rebuilding, grind and point, then yeah, N is probably better because it's a bit stronger and you want to really glue any bricks you loosened up tightly in place. O is nice because you can just smash it into the joints and still broom it off 30 min later.

Sorry to revisit this topic again, but a preservation-minded neighbor just stirred the pot by steering me away from Type O/N mortars, introducing me to Hydraulic Lime mortars. Referenced this site: https://hfsmaterials.com/restoration...e-mortar-tips/
Purportedly, the Naturally Hydraulic Lime (NHL) products are breathable enough to release moisture and eliminate effervescence.
Is going this route more than what is necessary, especially if it's unlikely that a building doesn't currently use an NHL mortar?
I can't wait to hear from all the experts here.

[BrinChi]

^^ Thank you both for your input! I knew the mortar mix has to be particular, but didn't know the specifics. Now I can ask the right question.

[ardecila]

Should qualify that statement about mortar - LVDW's correct if your wall is the typical Chicago common brick, or even most historic face brick. It sounds like that's probably the case since you're in a landmark district. But modern brick from the 1940s or newer is much harder and fired at higher temperatures, so a modern mortar mix is appropriate.

Also, being in a landmark district may increase your risk. The risk of nosy neighbors calling the city on you goes up dramatically in a landmark district... you'll probably be OK still, but just be aware. Masonry repairs are usually an Easy Permit which isn't too hard to get but you also need an Air Quality permit for grinding/sandblasting activities, which is a little tougher (need to notify your neighbors formally, etc).

[BrinChi]

Yep it's common Chicago brick - from 1887.

I do have a nosy neighbor but he mostly cares about unauthorized changes to landmark structures, not maintenance/repair.

My direct neighbor decided to blow up his front steps (with limestone!) and he was reported to landmarks. Still getting worked out. I don't think he got permits though because i never got any notice about all the jackhammering and concrete-cutting that covered my flowers and front steps in a layer of gray dust lol.

We'll see - I still have one more quote to get. Any masonry company recommendations are also welcome

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by BrinChi

Yep it's common Chicago brick - from 1887.

I do have a nosy neighbor but he mostly cares about unauthorized changes to landmark structures, not maintenance/repair.

My direct neighbor decided to blow up his front steps (with limestone!) and he was reported to landmarks. Still getting worked out. I don't think he got permits though because i never got any notice about all the jackhammering and concrete-cutting that covered my flowers and front steps in a layer of gray dust lol.

We'll see - I still have one more quote to get. Any masonry company recommendations are also welcome

I used Marion Restoration for a little rehab project on our 1903 workers cottage. The limestone decorative elements/lintels above windows were badly soot/weather stained and they did a beautiful and sensitive job bringing them back with the least harsh methods possible. They also used Type O mortar where appropriate, hand chiseled when needed as opposed to relying on grinder, etc.

They were also the only firm we had out who didnt just blindly quote us for work. Theres a crack in our brick garage we wanted addressed but their project manager actually advised us to talk to a structural engineer first, so that the work they did didnt just re-appear. Everyone else just sent some kid out to send photos back to the office and wrote us up a quote for work they didnt even have a good grasp on. I could have easily just blindly walked into one of those bids and not known better. They also steered me away from other "cleanings" to my facade I thought might improve the look, but they advised it would be a bad idea and probably needlessly wash out or damage our finely tooled original mortar in those sections. They'll likely get my work in the future as a result. Its unlikely theyll be the cheapest but it will get done right.

Before


After

[Chi-Sky21]

Well seeing the double beat down on state street the other night while everybody else was filming and or twerking on the street was the 1st time I actually REALLY thought to myself I would not feel safe around there with my wife. I have lived all over Chicago and walked around at night without even thinking about it. Maybe i am just older but that was pretty crazy to see.

[the urban politician]

Could it be that crime incidents in the downtown area are just rising due to the explosion in population? Anybody got any per capita stats for downtown area neighborhoods?

I’m downtown as I write this and it feels as safe as it always has been. Of course, there are plenty of people waking around.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by the urban politician

Could it be that crime incidents in the downtown area are just rising due to the explosion in population? Anybody got any per capita stats for downtown area neighborhoods?

I’m downtown as I write this and it feels as safe as it always has been. Of course, there are plenty of people waking around.

It utterly depends on what type of crime you're even talking about. Some are up, but overall crime is actually statistically down in almost every corner of the city. I think downtown doesn't have a major decrease in crime count, but the rate is lower due to an exploding population. Some of the biggest decreases in some of the more violent crimes except for shootings and murder are actually in the highest crime areas.

This is true though all across the US in that everyone thinks violent crime is up when in large part it's down - but for some reason shootings and murders are up almost everywhere. However, i think the fact that we get news about literally everything right away makes people believe that most violent crime is up when it's actually down. Nate Silver last year did a little study on this and found that people are generally really terrible at assessing their risk of being the victim of a crime. Somehow though they're really good at determining their chances of losing their job though.


This is the total of any assault, battery, or robbery for each year up until 9/9 for Near North Side, The Loop, and Near South Side combined. Not counting NWS in this right now..


2002: 2593 reported incidents
2003: 3875
2004: 3769
2005: 3505
2006: 3431
2007: 3354
2008: 3227
2009: 2749
2010: 2729
2011: 2376
2012: 2430
2013: 2227
2014: 2191
2015: 2205
2016: 2646
2017: 3092
2018: 3343
2019: 3442
2020: 2289
2021: 2677

So far in 2021 in these areas, it's about the same as in 2016, but 2017 thru 2019 really surged and each are a bit higher than 2021. I think 2020 was probably down due to lock downs and all that. From a per 100K rate perspective, you have 2010 at 2762.14 per 100K while 2021 is at 1516.08 per 100K. Rate wise that's a pretty significant reduction even though the overall number of incidents isn't much lower.

Now let's look at the incidents above involving a gun:


2002: 163
2003: 211
2004: 183
2005: 169
2006: 131
2007: 153
2008: 126
2009: 138
2010: 97
2011: 74
2012: 84
2013: 55
2014: 67
2015: 97
2016: 148
2017: 149
2018: 169
2019: 147
2020: 135
2021: 211

There is an uptick in assaults, robberies, and batteries with a gun and it was the same level as 2003. Keep in mind that these 3 areas in 2020 have 77,774 more people than in 2010. Per 100K rate of this in 2010 was 98.18 while in 2021 (using 2020 populations) is 119.49.

[Chi-Sky21]

^that is filmed in downtown Frankfort. Seems like Amazon likes filming around this area. Also , all of Homer Glen (near Palos) is a dark sky community and host stargazing at their parks a few times a year.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

^that is filmed in downtown Frankfort. Seems like Amazon likes filming around this area. Also , all of Homer Glen (near Palos) is a dark sky community and host stargazing at their parks a few times a year.

The main setting is a farmhouse in Woodstock, that they've been filming on and off at since the beginning of June.

[Chi-Sky21]

hmmmm , ok, thought i read they were filming in downtown Frankfort the other day. Maybe just for that day.

[sentinel]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

hmmmm , ok, thought i read they were filming in downtown Frankfort the other day. Maybe just for that day.

Oh I'm not doubting you, they have been doing location shoots all around Chicagoland, including a quarry, the Palos forest preserve, a pool hall in Willow Springs, etc. I just know that the main setting/location is a big farm house in Woodstock.

[SIGSEGV]

this weekend might be a good one to bike on the I&M trails: https://www.trains.com/trn/news-revi...tage-corridor/

[pip]

I biked on that new elevated path just west of Navy Pier for the first time. Is it a walking or biking path?

[jpIllInoIs]

Originally Posted by pip

I biked on that new elevated path just west of Navy Pier for the first time. Is it a walking or biking path?

Its both- did you really expect separate structures for Ped & Bike? Plus all other electric motorized modes of movement.

[pip]

I did not expect separate structures. I was curious as I thought it was just a bike path

[sentinel]

^^Oooh looks great!!

[LouisVanDerWright]

Very nice VIA, looks like you've got a particularly fancy cottage on your hands!

Also glad you didn't go with any caustics to clean, that's really only acceptable when trying to get paint off. Usually all you need to do is powerwash the brick on its lowest pressure setting with the widest tip to get 80% of the grime off. The patina of the original brick surface can't be reproduced, unless you wanna wait another 100 years...


And yes, can't tell you how many step fracture repairs I've seen where a new fracture just forms like two feet over because the underlying issues haven't been addressed. That reminds me, I gotta get a mason to address a water infiltration issue I'm having at one of my buildings where old porthole windows were improperly bricked in causing water to collect and enter the wall... Maybe I'll give them a call...

[Via Chicago]

yeah, they advised even against power washing the face brick and ive come around to the patina. they used some sort of non-caustic putty mixture on the limestone (not sure which but guessing it pulled the dirt out of the pores), let that set, and gently washed that off a few different times. definitely one of the only firms Ive found that has a preservation oriented mindset. if there are others out there id love to learn about them.

its definitely satisfying brining those little touches back. theres lots of boring expensive work that needs to be done to homes like this as you know, but anything involving a flourish on the facade is one of those really enjoyable and fun projects to see come to fruition. and it wasnt particularly expensive either in the scheme of things, just a quick day project they squeezed in amongst bigger stuff. one of these days we'll get a nice stained/leaded glass popped back in that opening, but that'll be the cherry on top once we get a lot more important stuff done lol. and theres quite the list.

but yeah, contractors are a minefield and places like Yelp arent super helpful especially for nuanced things like masonry, because most people reviewing dont even know what they got vs what they SHOULD have gotten. "tuckpointing" especially.