“After initially planning to demolish the buildings, the GSA relented over the summer and endorsed their adaptive reuse. But when the agency issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) from interested developers in November, the document laid out more than a dozen security protocols, including a prohibition of projects that would bring permanent and temporary residents into the building. Other restrictions prohibit a rooftop deck, parking and windows directly across from the courthouse. Security concerns involving the courthouse scuttled redevelopment of the site once before.

“A 2017 plan would have redeveloped the buildings into a mixed-use apartment complex, but it was later canceled by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who said objections from federal judges, who worried the apartment windows would be directly across from their chambers, made it impossible to launch the $141 million project. And in early 2022, Congress set aside $52 million to pay for demolition, an earmark supported by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.

“A pre-bid meeting held on Dec. 5 attracted a crowd of builders, preservationists, architects and engineers. ‘The room was just jam-packed with people,’ said Ward Miller, president of Preservation Chicago, the nonprofit that helped lead a yearslong fight to save the historic structures and will pursue its own redevelopment scheme. ‘There were about 100 to 120 individuals that showed up, representing a variety of companies.’

“If a developer can propose a solution acceptable to the GSA and the federal judges, and attract the necessary financing, it would put a final halt to GSA’s previous plan, to demolish the buildings in favor of a landscaped plaza on the courthouse’s east side, leaving a big gap on State Street. But it may not be easy.

“The 21-story Consumers Building, completed in 1913 and designed by the historic Chicago firm of Jenney, Mundie & Jensen, includes a rare surviving example of an early 20th century office building entry, decorated with marble and bronze. The 16-story Century Building was completed in 1916 and designed by Holabird & Roche. Both use the steel-frame design made famous by the era’s Chicago architects, which allowed ever-taller skyscrapers to include huge windows, flooding interior offices with light.

“‘The early skyscrapers were perfected in Chicago, and these two buildings are symbols of that perfection,’ said Miller, who compares the pair to State Street’s Reliance Building three blocks to the north, completed in 1895 and now an upscale hotel.

“Preservation Chicago and other advocates fought to save the buildings, successfully pressuring the Commission on Chicago Landmarks to recommend in January that the City Council make them city landmarks. Miller’s group also placed the State Street complex atop its annual list of most endangered buildings for three years in a row and launched an online petition that garnered tens of thousands of signatures.

“Preservation Chicago is part of a development team, including architects, engineers and finance experts, proposing a national archive center in the State Street complex, a solution that, unlike apartments or a hotel, could meet all the GSA’s security protocols, Miller said.

“The group garnered interest from about 20 religious organizations, including spiritual orders and the Episcopal Church, looking for a central location for their historical archives, paintings, sculptures and other art works. Miller envisions a research center for universities, classrooms, a ground-floor museum showcasing the art collections, and a possible future home for the archives of other Chicago-based organizations such as Ebony and Jet magazines.

“‘Wouldn’t it be great to have that?’ Miller asked. ‘If there is a better proposal out there that would save these buildings, well, that’s what Preservation Chicago is all about, but we think an archive center could be an amazing resource for Chicago.’

“The State Street site’s location near train lines and quick access to Chicago’s airports makes it ideal, as many archives are now scattered and difficult to access, said Christopher Allison, director of the McGreal Center for Dominican Historical Studies at Dominican University in suburban River Forest.

“‘In the Catholic community there is this huge issue of where to put the archives,’ he said. ‘There are some orphaned collections around the country that need somewhere to go. The need is so great; everyone is on the lookout.’

“Some religious organizations have deep pockets, including substantial endowments for record maintenance, and that could help finance the venture, Allison added.

“But whether it’s enough for such a huge project is still unknown, Miller said. He hopes the city and federal government can provide more assistance to whomever is chosen, including extending the Loop’s tax increment financing district one block to the east so it takes in State Street, or allowing the $52 million earmarked for demolition work to instead be used for building repairs and rehab.

“‘If there is a proposal that fits and is acceptable, then the (demolition) funds should be used to repair the buildings,’ he said. ‘Especially the terra cotta exteriors considering that a lot of that damage occurred during the years when GSA owned these buildings.’

“Preservation Chicago’s proposed archive center does have several advantages, said Sean Ahrens, a Chicago-based building security expert.” (Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 12/27/24)

Preservation Chicago has been actively advocating to save the Century and Consumers Buildings since they first became a Chicago 7 Most Endangered in 2011. Due to urgent threats, they were Chicago 7 Most Endangered for five years including in 2011, 2013, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Preservation Chicago’s advocacy catalyzed the City of Chicago to issue a 2017 Request for Proposals which resulted in the $141 Million adaptive reuse proposal from CA Ventures, a highly-capable Chicago development team, to convert the buildings into approximately 500 residential apartments.

After the adaptive reuse plan was blocked in 2019 due to security concerns, Preservation Chicago began the process to generate a viable adaptive reuse plan the exceeded all of the security requirements. The archive center creative solution stemmed from the preference of archives for solid walls over windows to prevent the sun’s ultraviolet light from degrading the archival materials.

By 2022 and extensive organizing efforts, the Chicago Collaborative Archive Center represented over 20 independent archives, most of which would permanently relocate to Chicago to participate. Shortly before the large press event to publicly introduce the Chicago Collaborative Archive Center, news broke of the $52 million federal earmark specifically for demolition that had been quietly included in a large federal spending bill.

Despite the seemingly impossible challenge of reserving the decision of the federal government, Preservation Chicago immediately began to mount an advocacy effort to save the Century and Consumers buildings. It became a Preservation Chicago 2022 Chicago 7 Most Endangered to raise awareness, shape the narrative and mobilize stakeholder support. We launched an online petition that generated approximately 25,000 signatures. An online video about the issue received approximately 1.5 million views. Century and Consumers has generated hundreds of news articles and seven Chicago Sun-Times editorials opposing demolition. Preservation Chicago has attended and spoken out in support of adaptive reuse at each and every of the dozens of pubic meetings during this long process.

A primary goal was to create a Chicago Landmark Designation for the Century and Consumers buildings. The buildings we’re clearly landmark eligible, but a Chicago Landmark Designation which directly challenged the federal government’s push for demolition required strong leadership from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, and City of Chicago DPD Landmarks Division staff, and City of Chicago’s elected officials. We worked to create broad support local support for adaptive reuse and opposition to demolition to allow this support to emerge and the significant progress towards Chicago Landmark Designation which has occurred.

Many preservation partners have worked side-by-side to advance the advocacy effort to save the Century and Consumers buildings including the Chicago Collaborative Archive Center, Landmarks Illinois, Chicago Architecture Center, Preservation Futures, Chicago Loop Alliance, National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and many individuals.

Much work remains until the Century and Consumers buildings are protected, restored, and reactivated, but the decision of the GSA to consider adaptive reuse is a major and positive new development in this lengthy advocacy effort.

Read the full story at the Chicago Tribune

• Fate of endangered State Street historic buildings still hangs in the balance as feds weigh security needs, Brian Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 12/27/24
• Federal government spares century-old State Street skyscrapers from demolition, Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 8/5/24
• Decayed State Street towers attract interest from Chicago developer betting on Loop turnaround, Quintin Primo III of Capri Investment Group said he will respond when the federal government publishes a call for lease ideas for the buildings at 202 and 220 S. State St., David Roeder, Chicago Sun-Times, 8/16/24
• Savior of Thompson Center, Cboe buildings eyes historic State Street pair now, Dennis Rodkin, Crain’s Chicago Business, 8/16/24
• ACHP, Illinois SHPO, GSA Sign Agreement to Preserve Historic Downtown Chicago Skyscrapers, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 9/4/24
• Chicago Preservationists Save Historic Skyscrapers from Demolition in United States, Nour Fakharany, Arch Daily, 9/17/24
• WATCH: Loop Buildings Spared, Ward Miller interviewed by Paris Schutz regarding the Century and Consumers Buildings, Paris on Politics, FOX 32 Chicago, 8/10/24
• Century-old Loop skyscrapers to be preserved, federal agency decides: A series of public meetings have been held to discuss alternatives for the buildings, which are on the National Register of Historic Places, Kade Heather, Chicago Sun-Times / WBEZ Chicago, 8/2/24