Owner seeks removal or reuse of historic sign at 1101 North Lake Street amid redevelopment review

Representatives for the property at 1101 North Lake Street presented a conceptual request at the June 20 meeting to remove an existing historic sign and to repair the roof and storefront. The owner said the site is under consideration for redevelopment and that restoring the sign would be costly and likely temporary if the property is sold or redeveloped.

Bill Hadler and Theodore King, speaking for the owner, described maintenance and vacancy issues at the site and the difficulty of keeping the storefront free of graffiti. Hadler said the property is going through a potential sale or redevelopment process and that repairing the sign would be expensive relative to future plans. "The site is up for potential redevelopment... the amount of money it would take to get that building good for a tenant if we were to retain the building as is, it would be a significant, significant amount of money," Hadler said.

HPO staff noted the sign is documented in the files and encouraged retention and restoration where feasible; staff also cited code enforcement notices for lack of maintenance and graffiti. Theodore King noted repeated graffiti problems and that the owner regularly paints the boarded storefront to conceal tagging. Commissioners discussed options including blank sign panels as an interim remedy, and possible temporary art installations, but asked the applicants to coordinate with code enforcement and the city's arts staff before firming up a proposal. No formal action was taken; the owner was told to return with a revised proposal and that staff would coordinate next‑steps with code enforcement and the city's arts review where relevant.