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Historic South Side building is the first to violate Chicago’s cooling ordinance this year

suntimes.com · 3h · first reportShare

City officials say the historic Yale Building at 6565 S. Yale Ave. became the first to violate Chicago’s cooling ordinance this year when its chiller broke down in late August. “Following our inspection of 6565 S. Yale Ave., inspectors cited the property for an inoperable chiller and noncompliance with the City’s Cooling Ordinance,” wrote Nefsa'Hyatt Brown, director of public affairs for the city’s Department of Buildings, in a Sept. 3rd email. "[The Department of Buildings] has escalated our enforcement action to the Department of Law for Circuit Court.” Records show the failed inspection occurred on Aug. 31. The first hearing in the case was held on Sept. 2. Landlords and building owners can be fined up to $1,000 per day, per violation. After the tragic deaths of three elderly women at the James Sneider Apartments in Rogers Park in the summer of 2022, Chicago’s cooling ordinance was established to protect those who may be more vulnerable to heat. The ordinance requires certain buildi