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Chicago

Preserve or demolish? Future of State Street buildings in question

Advocates speak out against demolition in federal hearing

Rebecca Pallmeyer, chief U.S. district judge of the Northern District of Illinois, along with the Consumers Building (left) and the Century Building (right) (Getty, Administrative Office of the United States Courts, Public domain - via Wikimedia Commons, Tdl1060, CC BY-SA 4.0 - via Wikimedia Commons, Tdl1060, CC BY-SA 4.0 - via Wikimedia Commons)
Rebecca Pallmeyer, chief U.S. district judge of the Northern District of Illinois, along with the Consumers Building (left) and the Century Building (right) (Getty, Administrative Office of the United States Courts, Public domain - via Wikimedia Commons, Tdl1060, CC BY-SA 4.0 - via Wikimedia Commons, Tdl1060, CC BY-SA 4.0 - via Wikimedia Commons)

A controversial government proposal to demolish State Street buildings in downtown Chicago drew outcry in a federal hearing.

Architects and others pleaded with a federal agency, the General Services Administration, to opt against tearing down the 16-story Century Building, the 22-story Consumers Building and two low-rises between them at 202-220 South State, Crain’s reported.

Congress granted $52 million for GSA to demolish the row of buildings earlier this year due to safety concerns that they could present security threats to the adjacent Everett Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where judicial offices are visible from high floors of the nearby buildings.

No one at the meeting spoke in favor of the demolition, while dozens of preservationists, architects and other advocates called for the group to preserve the century-old buildings.

A previous plan to redevelop the properties into a residential complex for $141 million was scrapped in 2019 when the federal government brought up concerns about residents being able to see into the adjacent courthouse.

The GSA has owned the buildings since 2005 when, in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and a 2004 truck bomb threat to the Dirksen building, federal officials wanted to build as much as 1.5 million square feet of additional government offices that would serve as a safety cushion for the courthouse.

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Rebecca Pallmeyer, chief U.S. district judge of the Northern District of Illinois, said the federal government doesn’t need as much extra space as previously, while the courthouse still needs an additional bulwark against potential danger.

Supporters of preserving the buildings pointed out demolishing tall structures adjacent to federal buildings would lead to multiple others across the country being torn down.

In September, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks delayed a vote to determine if the Century and Consumers Buildings should qualify for landmark status.

GSA’s public engagement process will last two years before a final decision is made. In the meantime, the four buildings will stay vacant and unused as they have for 17 years.

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— Victoria Pruitt

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ChicagoDowntownPreservation