Chicago Towers Recommended for Adaptive Reuse

Two federally owned downtown Chicago skyscrapers will see new life after being threatened with demolition, reports Nick Blumberg for WTTV.

According to Blumberg, “The Century, 202 S. State St., and Consumers Buildings, 220 S. State St. – which date to 1916 and 1913, respectively – have been empty since they were purchased by the government in 2005 through the use of eminent domain.”

The buildings represent a key architectural period in the city’s history. An environmental impact statement from the General Services Administration calls for adaptive reuse of the buildings. “The decision was met with cheers by preservationists, who have been highly critical both of the feds’ plan to raze the buildings and by the decades of deferred maintenance that has allowed the buildings to fall into disrepair.”