Evanston Il

In this upscale city just north of Chicago, a plan to build a skyscraper -- one nearly as tall as the Washington Monument -- has fueled more than a simple debate over urban planning. To many residents, the idea is outright heresy.

Northwestern University and the city of Evanston, Ill., this week settled a long-standing battle over a historic district that included dozens of university buildings, avoiding a federal trial next month. Under the agreement, the result of more than a month of talks, the upscale Chicago suburb will redraw the Northeast Evanston Historic District to remove 14 of 56 school buildings from its boundaries.