S. D. Childs & Co. v. City of Chicago

198 Ill. App. 590, 1916 Ill. App. LEXIS 502
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedApril 12, 1916
DocketGen. No. 22,381
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 198 Ill. App. 590 (S. D. Childs & Co. v. City of Chicago) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
S. D. Childs & Co. v. City of Chicago, 198 Ill. App. 590, 1916 Ill. App. LEXIS 502 (Ill. Ct. App. 1916).

Opinions

Mr. Justice O’Connor

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is an appeal from an interlocutory order enjoining the defendant, City of Chicago, from proceeding with the construction of a bridge across the1 Chicago River at Monroe street, until the damages have been ascertained and compensation paid. The parties will héreafter be designated complainant and defendant as in the court below.

The cause was heard upon the verified bill supported by affidavits and the verified answer supported by affidavits. Monroe street extends east and west in the City of Chicago and exists by virtue of a common-law dedication. It was dedicated and laid out about seventy-five years ago and has continuously, since that time, been a public street. It is intersected by the Chicago River, which is a navigable stream. The defendant city has-made plans and let the contract for building a bridge across the river on said street. The complainant is the owner of a leasehold estate, which expires April 30, 1919, in the property abutting on the north side of Monroe street and adjacent to the river. The property faces one hundred feet on Monroe street and ninety-nine feet on the river, and is improved by an eight-story mill constructed building, built of brick and stone. A dock eight feet in width extends along the river. As constructed, the building is adapted to the established grade of Monroe street. The only entrance to the building is from Monroe street at the southwest comer of the same. The elevators and stairways are likewise located in the southwest corner. The building is used by complainant and its subtenants for manufacturing purposes, and has been so used since it was built, May 1, 1904. The only means of ingress to and egress from the several floors of the building is by the elevators and stairways. In the construction of the bridge, the city is about to raise the grade of Monroe street abutting complainant’s premises fourteen feet on the west and eleven feet on the east line of the same. The bridge to be constructed is of the jack-knife or bascule kind. For the purpose of operating and maintaining* the bridge, the city is about to build in the street a concrete pit thirty-five feet in depth, abutting the west forty feet of complainant’s premises, and extending* practically the entire width of, the street. The city intends to install and maintain in the pit motors, machinery and other devices to.operate and control the bridge. The plans provide that when the bridge is complete, steel arms 'or girders will extend twelve feet above the surface of the street at the curb, abutting the west forty feet of complainant’s premises when thé bridge is closed, and when it is opened, the arms or girders of the bridge move in the pit and extend upwards perpendicularly in front of complainant’s property to a height of about eighty feet, and cut off all access to or egress from the west forty feet of the premises.

The complainant contends that the fee of the street being in the abutting property owners, the city has no right to put an additional burden upon the fee, without first obtaining the right to do so and paying compensation therefor; and that the city has not obtained such right. The argument is that the additional burden on the fee of the street is not by reason of the construction of the approach to the bridge, but by the construction of the pit in the street and the power plant in the pit; that the only right the city has in Monroe street is the easement to use the street for the purpose of travel along the street and of access to the adjoining property; that both the construction of the pit and the power plant “relate to the prevention of travel upon the street,” and that, therefore, the pit end the power plant constitute an additional burden upon the fee. It is conceded that if the construction of the bridge as proposed constitutes an additional burden upon the fee in the street, and the city has not obtained the right to do so from the abutting property owners by condemnation or otherwise, it has no right to construct the bridge; but it is contended that the digging of the pit and the building of the power plant therein does not constitute such additional burden, but that they are essential parts of said bridge and that when completed the bridge will facilitate traffic in Monroe street, for which purpose the street was dedicated. After a careful consideration of all the facts as disclosed by the record, and in the light of all the authorities, we are clearly of the opinion that the power plant proposed to be constructed in the pit is as essentially a part of the bridge as the plank to be laid in the floor of said bridge, and therefore it does not constitute an additional burden upon the fee in the street.

The complainant next contends that a court of equity will enjoin the damaging of property until compensation therefor is determined and paid, where it is admitted that the property will be damaged by the construction of the improvement, regardless of whether the same imposes an additional burden upon the fee in the street; that it clearly appears the complainant’s property will be damaged by the change in grade and the construction of the steel girders; that the parties have been unable to agree as to the amount; that the city should therefore be compelled to proceed under the Eminent Domain Act to have the damages ascertained and that this is true where the fact that the property will be damaged is admitted, although no property will be physically taken. In support of this contention complainant cites the cases of Meyer v. Village of Teutopolis, 131 Ill. 552, and McElroy v. Kansas City, 21 Fed. 257.

In the Meyer case, supra, an ordinance was passed by the village officials vacating a certain portion of a street in the village in the manner prescribed by chapter 145, Rev. St. (J. & A. 11485, 11486). The village then filed its petition to have the damages to property, by reason of the vacation of said street, ascertained and assessed. It was contended on behalf of the property owners that the ordinance was void, as the street was vacated at the instance of and for the benefit of a private corporation. The contention was held untenable. In that case no question was raised as to the proper procedure, and furthermore the village officials were proceeding under the law as provided in chapter 145, Rev. St., which has to do with the vacation of streets.

In the McElroy case, supra, it was held, under a constitutional provision similar to ours, which provided private property should not be taken or damaged for public use without just compensation, that where private property was damaged for public use compensation must first be ascertained and paid, and this, too, although no property was physically taken.

It would serve no useful purpose to discuss this or the other authorities cited by the complainant on this proposition, for the Supreme Court of this State has many times passed squarely upon the question now undér consideration, adversely to complainant’s contention. In Parker v. Catholic Bishop of Chicago, 146 Ill. 158, the court, in sustaining the dismissal of a bill for injunction, say (p. 165): “While private property cannot be taken by public authority for private use, it may be taken or damaged for a public use upon payment of just compensation to be ascertained by a jury in the mode prescribed by law. (Const., sec.

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Related

S. D. Childs & Co. v. City of Chicago
203 Ill. App. 235 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1917)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
198 Ill. App. 590, 1916 Ill. App. LEXIS 502, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/s-d-childs-co-v-city-of-chicago-illappct-1916.