"The Little White House" at 1722 Central St.

This was a worker's cottage that stood at 1722 Central St., just west of the former Evanston Theater building, until 2007 when it was demolished to make way for the now-delayed "Eastwood" mixed-use condominium development. It had both state and local landmark status. Note the ornate gingerbread decoration on the porch and the unusual arches above the windows. The original proposal for planned development of 1700-1722 Central proposed to preserve this building, often referred to in transcripts as "the little white house," as a "public benefit" justifying zoning allowances for a requested 5-story building to be erected on the theatre site directly east of the cottage. A number of Evanston preservationists supported the proposal for this reason. The cottage, however, vacant for years, was in severe disrepair, the nature and degree of public access after redevelopment was unclear, and even some who supported the cottage felt it would be overwhelmed contextually. Directed by the City to scale down the condo project, the developers submitted a 4-story alternative that did not spare the little white house. Ultimately this proposal had less opposition, and the cottage went under the wrecking ball.