“A federal agency on Monday approved a permit to demolish the Damen Silos, a collection of grain elevators on the Southwest Side abandoned after a 1977 explosion.

“MAT Limited bought the dilapidated silos and their 23-acre plot at 2900 S. Damen Ave. from the state in late 2022 and applied for five permits to demolish the buildings, including one with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. City officials were waiting for the federal agency’s decision before approving or denying demolition permits, Mayor Brandon Johnson said last year.

“Kate Eakin, president of the McKinley Park Development Council, said the neighborhood group would still like to see the historic silos preserved. The group also wants to see the riverfront property accessible to the public, which aligns with its larger vision for the south branch of the Chicago River.

“The council’s plan presents a framework to redevelop riverfront properties, including the Damen Silos, to create green space, improve access to the river and build a bike path connecting McKinley Park to Bridgeport and Chinatown.

“Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, told Block Club an alternative plan is to preserve the silos and turn the site into a concert venue or festival grounds, as BlueStar Properties, the developer behind the Salt Shed, proposed when bidding to buy the site from the state.

“‘The whole idea would be to maybe look at the Damon Silos site as a festival grounds co-owned in partnership with, ideally, the Chicago Park District and maybe a private entity,’ Miller said Tuesday. (Garcia Hernandez, Block Club Chicago, 12/18/24)

“A city’s stock rises and falls on its ability to create and maintain special places for residents and tourists.

“The long-vacant Damen Silos could have been one of the places. Located near the Stevenson Expressway in the McKinley Park neighborhood, the three 120-year-old silos should be on their way to being converted into a one-of-a-kind recreational or cultural spot surrounded by new park space right along the South Branch of the Chicago River. Instead, they’re likely to be demolished by owner Michael Tadin Jr., who bought the site from the state in 2022 for $6.5 million.

“The silos’ demolition would represent a blown chance for the city and state to have turned the old industrial site into something
exciting.

“As Millennium Park, the downtown Riverwalk, and countless other places across Chicago show us, unique places add to the city’s vitality. We need more of them. But there could still be a way to create something novel on the Damen Silos site.

“Community members and preservationists have been fighting for months to prevent the grain silos at 29th Street and Damen Avenue from being razed. (Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, 2/6/24)

“’It’d be great to connect this to other green spaces and riverfront trails,’ Preservation Chicago’s Miller said. ‘It’s a great opportunity to talk about Chicago’s industrial past. If they’re demolished and pulverized, those stories are lost.’” (Loerzel, WBEZ Chicago, 9/25/23)

Preservation Chicago has been concerned over the fate of the Damen Silos for many years. Damen Silos site became a 2023 Chicago 7 2023, after the State of Illinois’ decision to sell the the site, and the recent demolitions of the Crawford Power Station and the ADM Silos.

Preservation Chicago has been working closely with preservation partners, and has met many times with the Alderwoman, city officials and ownership to advocate for an alternative vision for the Damen Silos site.

Read the full story at Block Club Chicago and the Chicago Sun-Times

• Damen Silos Demolition Approved By Feds, But Plan Still Needs City Approval
  The “iconic” grain silos will come down for an unspecified redevelopment, its owner said. Neighbors and preservationists want to see more environmentally friendly plans for the site, Francia Garcia Hernandez, Francia Garcia Hernandez, Block Club Chicago, 12/18/24
• All doesn’t have to be lost if the historic Damen Silos are demolished; Demolishing the silos in McKinley Park would be a blown chance for the city and state to turn the old industrial site into an exciting new place. But perhaps something can still be done, such as a park along the Chicago River, Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, 2/6/24
• Army Corps of Engineers approves Damen Silos demolition, Demolition permits are still pending at the city level, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 12/27/24
• Damen Silos will remain in limbo as Army Corps reviews application to demolish, Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 10/3/23
• Threatened Damen Silos a remnant of Chicago’s days as a ‘Stacker of Wheat’, Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune, 10/8/23
• Demolition Of Damen Silos Further Delayed, Pending Federal Review; City officials won’t make a decision on the demolition permits for the site until a federal review concludes, they said Tuesday, Madison Savedra, Block Club Chicago, 10/5/23
• The Damen Silos — now at the center of demolition drama — have a colorful history; Preservationists argue that the unique structure, vacant since the 1970s and a darling of gonzo artmakers, was the skyscraper of its time and deserves to be saved, Robert Loerzel, WBEZ Chicago, 9/25/23 (Long-format article with many historic photos)