Chicago Buildings Top Landmarks Illinois' Endangered Landmarks List
The Thompson Center, the red-headed stepchild of Chicago architecture, landed on another list of endangered landmarks. The Helmut Jahn-designed building tops Landmarks Illinois' 2017 list of endangered landmarks. The Thompson Center also made Preservation Chicago's 2016 list of endangered buildings.
Landmarks Illinois said the reason the Thompson Center tops the list is the growing assumption that Gov. Bruce Rauner's attempt to auction the building makes demolishing it for a new development a fait accompli that "devalues the civic and cultural advances" in Jahn's postmodern design.
Chicago-area buildings occupy the top three spots on Landmarks Illinois' list. O'Hare International Airport's rotunda building, built in 1962, made the list because Mayor Rahm Emanuel's O'Hare terminal expansion could put its jet-age design in jeopardy.
The other Chicago building named is the Singer Pavilion at Michael Reese Hospital. The sole building remaining from the city's demolition of the Michael Reese campus, its future is in doubt because the city is accepting requests for proposals for redevelopment of the campus.
