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Design team presents options for stair and elevator tower at 1800 Sheridan; commissioners urge smaller, more articulated solution
Summary
An informational presentation on adding a stair and elevator tower to 1800 Sheridan (to house Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary) prompted extensive commissioner feedback urging reduced bulk, clearer separation from the historic house, consideration of interior elevator siting, and use of lighter materials such as glass for the reveal; the project team will return with studies.
An initial, non‑action presentation to the Evanston Preservation Commission outlined options to add a stair and elevator tower to the west side of the historic building at 1800 Sheridan to meet code‑required egress and accessibility needs for Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary's planned relocation.
The project team said the existing building lacks an elevator and a second protected egress to the third floor, and the preferred location for a new stair and elevator is an exterior tower at the western alley where there is room to build without obscuring the main Sheridan facade. The team emphasized a design approach that keeps the primary Sheridan elevation unchanged and uses a secondary material with a reveal to separate the new mass from the historic structure.
"We need to provide a more proper safe stair from the third floor of this building," the project presenter told commissioners, explaining that current code allowed egress is a ship‑ladder fire escape that is not adequate for the planned institutional use. The team showed conceptual elevations and massing studies and described options for materials including darker metal panels, darker brick, or a thin glass reveal between historic masonry and the new tower.
Commissioners offered detailed feedback. Several urged the team to explore internalizing the elevator to reduce the tower's mass or separating the elevator and the stair so each intervention is smaller. One commissioner recommended pulling the tower slightly away from the historic wall and using a distinct, clearly modern material so the addition reads as removable. Another commissioner observed the tower as currently massed would be visually prominent from the alley and asked for studies with reduced bulk or an articulated form that better converses with the existing turrets.
The project team said they had studied interior and exterior options and would return with additional studies showing alternative configurations, reduced bulk and material strategies. The commission did not take action; the team expects to return with a formal application after incorporating the feedback.
Next steps The project team will prepare additional plans and massing studies that evaluate placing the elevator partially inside the building, separating the elevator and stair elements, and exploring lighter, more articulated cladding and reveals; they will return to the commission for formal review.
