PDF Download: Preservation Chicago’s 2008 Chicago 7 Most Endangered Booklet
The stately brick and stone American Book Company building is an integral component in the trio of historic warehouse buildings located at the intersection of Cermak Road and Calumet Avenue. Before the real estate bust, the area had been ripe for additional hotel space to compliment the expanding McCormick Place convention center. But without any legal protection against demolition, a 2008 hotel redevelopment project threatened to destroy this unique slice of Chicago’s history.
Update:Preservation Chicago’s efforts to preserve this building ended in success when the building was landmarked in 2009. However, although it remains vacant and deteriorating, the future need for new mixed-use development in and around McCormick Place bodes well for the future of this building.