# A Lake View house tied to Chicago's preservation movement is up for landmark status. The Council has never rejected one this term

*The Commission on Chicago Landmarks considers 3152 N. Cambridge Ave., home of architect John Vinci, today. If it moves forward, the City Council has the final say, and our records show it has passed all 31 designations since 2023.*

By Chicago Politics · Updated Nov 5, 2026

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks is set to decide today whether to recommend preliminary landmark status for a 133-year-old house at 3152 N. Cambridge Ave. in Lake View, the [Sun-Times reported](https://chicago.suntimes.com/architecture-design/2026/11/05/landmark-status-lake-view-house-vinci-preservation-movement). It's the home of architect John Vinci, 89, who founded his firm there in 1969 and is known for his work restoring and saving Chicago buildings.

Why it matters: landmark status protects a building's designated features from demolition or major change without City review. A preliminary recommendation starts a process that ends with a City Council vote. It would make Vinci one of very few Chicago architects to see their own home landmarked while living in it, the Sun-Times reported.

## The house

According to Sun-Times architecture critic Lee Bey:

- **Built in 1893** as a two-flat with a corner tower and arched first-floor windows.
- **Vinci bought it in 1969** and set up his firm, then called John Vinci-Lawrence Kenny, there with his partner.
- **The proposal** covers the home's exterior and a 1981 brick garage Vinci designed after the original frame garage burned. He also replaced the front porch and steps with a steel design of his own in 2009.
- **The history:** the designation would also recognize Vinci's preservation work. Preservationist Richard Nickel, killed in 1972 while salvaging pieces of the Chicago Stock Exchange Building, was a frequent visitor.

The house is in the 44th Ward, represented by Ald. Bennett Lawson, according to our ward map.

## What our records add

**The Council's record on landmarks.** Since the current Council took office in May 2023, our records show 31 ordinances designating individual landmarks or districts. All 31 passed. Only one drew a no vote: the St. Adalbert Parish Complex in Pilsen, 49 to 1 in June 2025 ([SO2024-0010378](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/SO2024-0010378-historical-landmark-st-adalbert-parish-complex)). Most passed within about a month of reaching the Council: the median was 35 days from introduction to final vote. St. Adalbert took the longest, nearly a year.

**Other homes.** The Council has landmarked several houses this term, including the Roger Brown Home and Studio at 1926 N. Halsted St., 50 to 0 in May ([O2026-0024658](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/O2026-0024658-historical-landmark-roger-brown-home-studio)); the Fred C. Beeson House No. 4 in Austin, 44 to 0 in November 2025 ([O2025-0019665](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/O2025-0019665-historical-landmark-fred-c-beeson-house)); and the Phebe and John Gray House at 4362 W. Grace St., 48 to 0 in March 2024 ([O2024-0007798](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/O2024-0007798-historical-landmark-phebe-john-gray-house)).

How each ward voted: [O2026-0024658](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/O2026-0024658-historical-landmark-roger-brown-home-studio)

**Most recent.** The Council's latest designations, on Sept. 23, were the Bryn Mawr Avenue District in Edgewater ([O2026-0027059](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/O2026-0027059-historical-landmark-bryn-mawr-avenue-district)) and the Shop Building at Altgeld Gardens ([O2026-0027058](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/O2026-0027058-historical-landmark-shop-building-altgeld-gardens)), each 50 to 0.

**Going the other way.** One landmark is the subject of a repeal proposal: Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) introduced an ordinance in September to remove the designation from the Cortland Street Bridge ([O2026-0027856](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/O2026-0027856-repeal-historical-landmark-cortland-bridge)). It is in committee.

## How it works from here

Landmark ordinances reach the Council as transmittals from the Commission and go to the Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards before a full Council vote, our records show. A preliminary recommendation today would come first; the Commission makes its final recommendation later, after further review.

## What's next

- **Today:** the Commission's vote on a preliminary recommendation. We'll update this story with the outcome.
- **After a final recommendation:** an ordinance goes to the [Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/committee/zoning-landmarks-and-building-standards), which next meets Nov. 17, and then to the full Council.

The [44th Ward page](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/44) tracks Lawson's legislation and votes.


## Legislation in this story

- [Historical landmark designation for Roger Brown Home and Studio at 1926 N Halsted St](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/O2026-0024658-historical-landmark-roger-brown-home-studio) (O2026-0024658)

## Sources

1. City Clerk: [O2026-0024658: Historical landmark designation for Roger Brown Home and Studio at 1926 N Halsted St](https://chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov/Matter/?matterId=50C98D65-F431-F111-88B3-001DD80B0E39)
2. City Clerk: [O2026-0024658, Legislation: O2026-0024658 Ordinance.pdf](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/matterattachmentspublic/0e176d7b-f82b-4dbb-a5ed-d5f55f17cdf7.pdf)
3. City Clerk: [O2026-0024658, Miscellaneous: O2026-0024658 Transmittal Letter.pdf](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/matterattachmentspublic/0fcf9744-30f7-442f-ace2-ded70e667801.pdf)
4. City Clerk: [O2026-0024658, Exhibits: O2026-0024658 Ex A.pdf](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/matterattachmentspublic/b0050ec1-b251-4d9e-a544-bead5da13356.pdf)
5. City Clerk: [O2026-0024658, Miscellaneous: O2026-0024658 Recommendation.pdf](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/matterattachmentspublic/f546d887-76dc-408c-92e9-96e91505805c.pdf)
6. City of Chicago: [City Council, May 20, 2026: meeting video](https://vimeo.com/1193694170)
7. City Clerk: [City Council, May 20, 2026: Agenda](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/meetingattachmentspublic/f8c22e31-f40d-40dd-80a7-2b57a0e7c10f.pdf)
8. City Clerk: [City Council, May 20, 2026: Notice](https://occprodstoragev1.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/meetingattachmentspublic/6b8a8578-0239-f111-88b3-001dd8033b18.pdf)
9. Chicago Sun-Times: [Sun-Times reported](https://chicago.suntimes.com/architecture-design/2026/11/05/landmark-status-lake-view-house-vinci-preservation-movement)
10. Chicago Politics: [O2026-0024658: votes, timeline and summary](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/matter/O2026-0024658-historical-landmark-roger-brown-home-studio)
11. Chicago Politics: [City Council, May 20, 2026: transcript](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/1193694170.txt)
12. City of Chicago: [Neighborhood and community area boundaries (Chicago Data Portal)](https://data.cityofchicago.org/d/y6yq-dbs2)

On the map: [Lakeview](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/neighborhoods/lakeview), [44th Ward](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/ward/44)

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/lake-view-3152-n-cambridge-vinci-house-landmark-commission-council-record · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt