WBEX.org published a detailed article explaining Chicago’s red “X†program, which has sparked curiosity and concern among residents.
While walking through her Logan Square neighborhood, Chicago resident Poppy Coleman noticed something unusual: two old buildings had large red “X†signs affixed to them. She was curious about what the symbols meant and started digging deeper.
Since 2012, nearly 2,000 of these red “X†signs have appeared across the city. Many people online have questioned whether the markings indicate that a building is condemned, vacant, or for sale. The program was originally designed to protect firefighters and others by identifying structures that are unsafe. However, it has now run out of funding.
On December 22, 2010, a tragic incident occurred in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood when firefighters were searching for squatters inside a burning, long-vacant laundromat on the 1700 block of East 75th Street. As they continued their search, a wall collapsed, followed by the roof, killing firefighters Edward Stringer and Corey Ankum and injuring 19 others. This event led to changes in how the city handles dangerous buildings.
Alderman Debra Silverstein, representing the 50th Ward, was one of the first to address the issue after becoming an alderman. She met with Fire Chief Mark Nielsen and introduced two ordinances in response. The first, passed in 2011, required the fire department to identify buildings with bowstring truss construction, which are more prone to collapse during fires.
Her second ordinance aimed to locate and mark all dangerous buildings in the city. For this initiative, the city chose to use rectangular metal signs with a large red “X,†a symbol used by fire departments in New York City and other cities. This marking system is also part of a federal program for identifying vacant structures.
Not every abandoned or vacant building gets a red “X.†The sign serves as a clear warning that a structure is unstable and that firefighters should take extra precautions when responding to emergencies there.
Since the ordinance was passed in June 2012, the Chicago Fire Department has placed 1,804 red “X†signs. That number is still far below the 5,000+ vacant properties registered in the city, which is just a fraction of the total estimated number of abandoned buildings. According to CFD Spokesman Larry Langford, however, it's a start.
“We picked 1,800 that we wanted to get marked right away,†he said. Initially, the Department of Buildings provided a list of structurally unsound properties, including around 300 buildings that were over 35% deteriorated. The city has largely left it up to aldermen to explain the purpose of the signs to the public.
There is a process for rehabilitating vacant and abandoned properties, but the city requires special permission before any work can be done on buildings with red “X†signs. Two years after the program began, only one building has been successfully repaired and had its sign removed legally.
The program, which was intended to save lives, has since run out of money. The city received $675,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters grant program to fund the red “X†initiative. Most of that money went to two local contractors, AGAE Contractors and M-K Signs. Data obtained by WBEZ shows that the city spent the entire grant over thirteen months starting in June 2012, and has not added any new red “X†signs since July 2013.
This leaves many wondering what the future holds for the program and the safety of both firefighters and residents.
Thanks, Dan.
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