By Leslie Clark Lewis, Class of 2009
Leslie Clark Lewis photo
202, 212, 214, 220 South State Street
You’ve walked by these empty, decaying buildings maybe hundreds of times – and probably thought, “Why can’t somebody do something about these wonderful old buildings?” It appears there is a glimmer of hope that the structures can be saved.
Recent news reports indicate the city is acting on behalf of the buildings’ owner (the General Services Administration of the US government) to secure redevelopment bids from developers. The proposals are due May 1.
These buildings were included on the now-retired CAF Preservation tour, and three of them were designed by architects well-known to CAF docents: 202 South State (Century Building): Holabird and Roche; 212 South State: Marshall & Fox; and 220 South State (Consumers Building): Jennie Mundie & Jensen. The architect for 214 is unknown.
Click HERE and HERE for more details about the buildings, bids and scope from Curbed Chicago and DNAInfo. And stay tuned (fingers crossed) for positive news as the project progresses.
I am glad to see some action may be taken (hopefully restoration/preservation) and happy to see some explanation of the history of these buildings.