The city will facilitate the sale of four buildings in the Loop, which are currently vacant and owned by the US government, according to an announcement from Mayor Rahm Emannuel.
The buildings include the Century Building at 202 S. State St. which is a 16-story, 68,200-square-foot tower that opened in 1915 and was designed by Holabird & Roche.
Also, the John R. Thompson Building located at 212 S. State St. which is a three-story, 11,499-square-foot structure that opened in 1920 and was designed by Marshall and Fox.
Next door, a six-story 7,200-square-foot building at 214 S. State St. that opened in 1886.
Then, the Consumer Building at 220 S. State St. which is a 22-story, 198,400-square-foot skyscraper that opened in 1913 and was designed by Jenny, Mundie and Jensen.
The properties were acquired by the federal government in 2005. The General Services Administration, which maintains the buildings now, determined they were beyond the scope of the government’s needs.
The buildings will be sold in a three-way transaction between GSA, the city of Chicago and a private developer that will soon be selected through an RFP process. The city expects all proposals to preserve the buildings that bookend the site and the storefront at 214 S. State St.
The buildings are located in the Loop Retail Historic District which is listed on the U.S. Register of Historic Places.
“We look forward to working with the GSA to make the site available for rehabilitation,” DPD Commissioner David Reifman said in a statement. “Our priority is to get these buildings restored and occupied through a high-quality redevelopment project. However, the market will determine the exact mix of uses, such as hotels, residential uses including student housing, classrooms, offices or one or more other downtown uses.”
RFP responses are due May 1 and the developer selection will be made on May 24.
