In a bid to save Illinois' cultural and historical legacies from the brink of oblivion, three Chicago-area buildings have been spotlighted as part of this year's troubled icons. Landmarks Illinois has unveiled its "2024 Most Endangered Historic Places" list, which calls attention to ten sites across the state that are dangerously close to being lost to time and neglect unless swift action is taken, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Among those teetering on the edge of erasure, is the Portage Theater, standing since 1920 in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood. Closed since 2018, the theater requires significant updates and repairs to return it to its former glory. Amie Zander, managing director for the Six Corners Association said, "Restoring the historic Portage Theater would be the icing on the cake amid a real estate resurgence at Six Corners," signaling a possible economic boon if the building were to be rehabilitated.
Another significant structure on the list is the Sears Administration Building, a relic of the once mighty Sears, Roebuck and Co., located in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood. Nestled within a National Historic Landmark, this edifice has stood vacant, even as surrounding buildings on the same campus find rebirth in new roles. Though listed for sale since spring 2023, it continues to await an investor who can rewrite its destiny.
The former Libby, McNeill, and Libby Building in Blue Island also garnered a dubious mention on the endangered list. The structure, which has been a milestone of the area's industrial past since 1918, has been unmaintained since its closure in 2018 and now faces decay. "The presence of unique heritage assets, such as the Libby, McNeill and Libby Building, connects communities like Blue Island to their past and presents, attractive centers where community and economic development can occur if they’re repurposed for the future," Kevin Brown, vice president of the Calumet Heritage Partnership, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Threatened Chicago landmarks also include the Century and Consumers buildings situated Downtown, which history enthusiasts argue could serve as a future Chicago Archives Center. These skyscrapers face their own kind of precariousness, given their long-standing maintenance issues and vacancy despite an approval for landmark status by the city. And then there’s the Damen Silos, heritage remnants of Chicago’s industrial supremacy, whose future is uncertain with proposals on the table that potentially include demolition in favor of new construction. According to Block Club Chicago, some groups have offered alternative visions of restoration and repurposing that could benefit the community as well as the environment.
These endangered jewels, from former roaring factories to silent sentinels of the sky, represent more than mere bricks and mortar. They are the silent narrators of Illinois' storied past, offering boundless potential to enrich future generations, if only given the chance to survive the storm of modernity and neglect. The voice of Landmarks Illinois is a clarion call, beckoning the citizens and stewards of history to salvage these landmarks—nationally significant, yet locally treasured—from the precipice of annihilation, and thereby weave them once again into the fabric of contemporary community life.
