DOWNTOWN — An effort to preserve the Century and Consumers buildings got key city backing Thursday despite the federal government trying to tear them down.
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks approved on Thursday a preliminary recommendation to landmark the two buildings at 202-220 S. State St. something preservationists have been seeking for more than a year.
Built in the early 1910s, the buildings were acquired by the federal government in 2007 for a potential office expansion that never materialized.
Federal officials announced a $52 million plan In April 2022 to demolish the skyscrapers, saying they pose a security risk for the nearby Dirksen Federal Building on Dearborn Street.
Preservation Chicago, which named the Century and Consumers buildings on its annual list of most endangered buildings in Chicago, has argued they should be restored.
The group wants the buildings turned into a national archive, which preservationists have said would fit the safety requirements the federal government has for the buildings.
Landmarks Illinois leaders said demolishing the buildings would leave a hole in one of Chicago’s most active corridors.
Thursday’s early recommendation kicks off a lengthy series of approvals before the buildings are actually landmarked — including getting consent from the building owner, hosting a public hearing and another vote before the landmarks commission, and then going to the zoning committee and City Council for a vote.
City landmark rules don’t apply to the federal government. Ultimately, the federal government will have the final say on what to do with the Century and Consumers buildings, according to the commission.
The General Services Administration, which manages all federal properties, told the commission in a statement it is remaining neutral on the city’s process. That federal agency is going through its own process to assess alternative uses and possibly compromise with preservationists.
That process — the section 106 regulatory review — doesn’t guarantee buildings will be saved, but it gives consulting agencies and the state’s preservation office a chance to argue their cases for preservation, reuse and demolition.
In a written statement, Rebecca Pallmeyer, chief judge of the Northern District of Illinois, reiterated longstanding security concerns about the buildings, including sight lines into the federal courthouse.
“We note suggestions that the court should consider security enhancements that may be adequate to address the court’s safety concerns,” Pallmeyer wrote in the statement. “Media reports have suggested that those concerns are limited to sight lines into the courthouse from the buildings at issue. We can assure you that while sight lines are significant, law enforcement experts have identified several additional concerns.”
Pallmeyer did not clarify what those additional security concerns are.
The preliminary recommendation comes after the federal government announced last week it will demolish a three-story building between the two skyscrapers at 208-212 S. State St.
The decision was made after an assessment found the “non-historic building, which has been unoccupied for several years, is not structurally sound and presents risks, including potential facade collapse that would endanger pedestrians and street traffic,” according to the Sun-Times.
A final recommendation from the Section 106 review process is expected to be announced in December, federal officials said.
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