Supporters fight to designate Pilsen's shuttered St. Adalbert Church complex as landmark

CHICAGO (WLS) -- St. Adalbert Church, shuttered five years ago, sits quietly in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood.

The battle for its future has been heating up at City Hall, where the Commission on Chicago Landmarks held a public hearing on recommendations for a landmark designation for the five properties that comprise the church complex.

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St. Adalbert closed in 2019 as part of a consolidation of Catholic churches in the neighborhood.

Dozens of supporters filled Chicago City Council chambers on Friday, speaking to the church's history as the cornerstone for Polish and Mexican immigrants.

"The people that built this came here from Poland at a time when Poland did not exist on the map. It was ripped apart by its neighbors," said Julie Sawicki with the Society of St. Adalbert.

But the Catholic Church says St. Adalbert does not meet the criteria of a landmark and has been trying to sell the building, saying repairs would be too costly.

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"A failure to close a non-sustainable parish actually puts at risk our larger mission of having many parishes at all to serve the needs of the faithful," said Archdiocese of Chicago Bishop Robert Lombardo.

Louis Galluzzo says many people fighting to preserve the church do not live in the neighborhood, and that St. Paul Church is shouldering the financial burden of St. Adalbert.

"If the building and the properties were sold, there would be quite a substantial amount of money to enable St. Paul to do what we do. Fight for cleaner air, fight to lower taxes," Galluzzo said.

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks will make its final decision on St. Adalbert at their meeting next month.

If they do approve a landmark recommendation, the city council would then take up the matter.