“Sterling Bay is demolishing a former Archer Daniels Midland flour mill in the Fulton Market district, after preservationists unsuccessfully urged the Chicago developer to preserve the buildings. Demolition of the more-than-century-old property at 1300 W. Carroll Ave. began Thursday. The work will last about three months as the developer eyes a mixed-use development of the site, Sterling Bay managing principal Keating Crown said.
“The nonprofit Preservation Chicago has pushed Sterling Bay to keep at least portions of the structure, a patchwork of silos and brick buildings built over time. The mill opened in the late 1800s, and ADM closed it in 2019.
“‘It’s very disappointing that a first-rate developer in Chicago isn’t able to save an important Chicago building,’ said Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago. ‘This is one of those buildings we felt was important to have saved because of its architectural pedigree, and because it’s one of the oldest mills and food production facilities in the Fulton-Randolph landmark district.’
“Sterling Bay had planned to keep parts of the structure. It considered incorporating the silos into an office or residential building or adapting them for recreational activities, perhaps building climbing walls inside them, Crown said. Sterling Bay now plans a ground-up development that could include some combination of office, residential, hotel and retail space, Crown said. It must secure zoning, and the firm has yet to present plans to city officials.
“The mill was built by the Eckhart & Swan Milling Co. in 1897, with additions made in 1910, according to Preservation Chicago research. Grain elevators were added in 1927 and silos in 1948, according to the historic preservation group.
“When Sterling Bay executives met with neighbors just over a year ago to discuss plans for the 1200 W. Carroll site, renderings showed ADM silos preserved in the background, which gave preservationists hope they would be kept, Miller said.
“At the time, Sterling Bay still was considering saving them, Crown said. ‘We take great pride in preservation in Chicago and other markets we’re in,” he said. ‘On every project, we try to pay respect to what was there before us.'”
Preservation Chicago has been advocating for the ADM Mill and Silos since the announcement that they would be closed and sold to Sterling Bay. Sterling Bay is a large developer with significant capacity and adaptive reuse experience. We met with Sterling Bay decisionmakers in 2019 to encourage that certain important buildings within the complex be incorporated into the final redevelopment plans. The conceptual rendering released in early 2020 showed partial reuse. Current plans changed to full demolition. Preservation Chicago remains hopeful that some portion of the historic fabric, especially the 6-story building at the southeast corner of the site, can be saved and incorporated into the development plan.
