Century Building
Part ofLoop Retail Historic District (ID98001351)
Building details
General information
Architectural styleChicago School
Location202 S. State Street, Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates41°52′45.6″N 87°37′40.8″W / 41.879333°N 87.628000°W / 41.879333; -87.628000
Completed1915
Height185.45 feet (56.53 m)
Technical details
Floor count16
Design and construction
Architect(s)Holabird & Roche
EngineerHenry J. Burt[1]

The Century Building is a high rise office building in Chicago's Loop. It was designed by Holabird & Roche, and was built in 1915.[2][3] It is a contributing property to the Loop Retail Historic District.[2] The building is representative of the transition of Chicago high rise design from the Chicago School to Art Deco, and its north and east facades feature Neo-Manueline ornamentation.[2][3] It is owned by the United States Federal Government and administered by the General Services Administration. It currently sits vacant.[4]

In 2022, the building was proposed to be demolished, with $52 million earmarked for tearing down both the Century Building and the neighboring Consumers Building.

History

Originally known as the Buck & Rayner Building or the Twentieth Century Building, the building was completed in 1915.[1][5][2][6] Buck & Rayner was a Chicago chain of drug stores, and commissioned the construction of the building.[2][7][8] It occupied the corner store and basement.[5] In 1917, Lake and State Savings Bank signed a twenty-year lease for the building's second floor.[2][6] The bank's name was changed to the Century Trust and Savings Bank, and the building's name was changed to the Century Building.[2][6]

Home Federal Savings and Loan purchased the Century Building in 1950, and moved its headquarters into the building on June 30, 1952.[9] Home Federal occupied the first five floors, as well as the two floors below street level.[9] The building's name was officially changed to the Home Federal Building.[10] In 1958, Home Federal Savings and Loan purchased the Republic Building across State Street.[11] The Republic Building was demolished and a new 16 story building was constructed.[12] Home Federal Savings and Loan moved its headquarters to the new building on December 17, 1962.[12]

The building has also served as home to the headquarters of the Gideons International,[13][14] Local 66 of the Elevator Operators and Starters Union,[15] the main offices of Sterling Cleaners and Dyers,[16] the Audit Bureau of Circulations,[17][18][19] a Liggett's drug store,[20] Family Loan Corporation,[21] May Jewelers,[22] Romas Restaurant,[23][24] the Illinois Migrant Council,[25][26] the National Alliance of Black Feminists,[27] and the local office of the Guardian Angels.[28]

Jesse Jackson's Chicago headquarters were in the Century Building during his 1984 presidential campaign.[29]

In 2003, Marc Realty Co. purchased the building from Mitchell Macks for $1.25 million.[30] In 2005, the General Services Administration used eminent domain to seize the Century Building, also acquiring other nearby buildings, citing the need for increased security around the Dirksen Federal Building.[31][32] In 2011 and 2013, Preservation Chicago listed the Century Building and the nearby Consumers Building as one of Chicago's 7 most endangered buildings.[2][33]

In 2017, CA Ventures reached an agreement to purchase the Century Building, the Consumers Building, and the two smaller buildings in between, for $10.38 million.[34] The Century Building and Consumers Building would have been converted to apartments, as part of a $141 million redevelopment project, while the historic Streamline Moderne storefront of 214 South State Street would have been restored and incorporated into a 25,000 square-foot structure built between the taller buildings for retail and commercial use.[34] Under the terms of the agreement, the City of Chicago would purchase the buildings from the federal government and then immediately sell them to CA Ventures.[35] However, the City of Chicago backed out of the agreement in December 2019, citing security concerns at the nearby Dirksen Federal Building.[35][33]

In 2022, Preservation Chicago listed the Century Building and the nearby Consumers Building as one of Chicago's 7 most endangered buildings, after a $52 million federal earmark to demolish the buildings was revealed.[36][37][38]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Randall, Frank A.; Randall, John D. (1999). History of the Development of Building Construction in Chicago. University of Illinois Press. p. 293. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Preservation Chicago Unveils the 2011 Chicago 7 Most Threatened… The Century & Consumers Building Archived September 13, 2020, at the Wayback Machine", Preservation Chicago. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "202 S. State Street - The Century Building, Chicago, IL", General Services Administration. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  4. ↑ Gallun, Alby. "Feds move to sell State Street buildings", Crain's Chicago Business. April 27, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "State Street's Newest Skyscraper", Chicago Tribune. January 26, 1915. p. 7.
  6. 1 2 3 "Lake and State Bank to Move to Adams Street", Chicago Tribune. March 13, 1917. p. 10.
  7. ↑ Drug and Chemical Notes", Paint, Oil and Drug Review. December 3, 1913. p. 25. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Leases and Loans", Chicago Tribune. November 16, 1913. p. 11.
  9. 1 2 Hampson, Philip. "Home Federal Move Viewed as Aid to Stores", Chicago Tribune. June 27, 1952. p. C7.
  10. ↑ "Real Estate Notes", Chicago Tribune. May 3, 1952. p. B5.
  11. ↑ Fuller, Ernest. "19 Story Loop Building Sold to Home Federal", Chicago Tribune. July 1, 1958. p. B7.
  12. 1 2 Gavin, James M. "$6,000,000 Unit Opens on Monday", Chicago Tribune. December 12, 1962. p. C7.
  13. ↑ "Put New Gideon Bibles in Many Chicago Hotels", Chicago Tribune. March 3, 1933. p. 14.
  14. ↑ "Open Gideons' New Quarters Here Next Week", Chicago Tribune. April 19, 1947. p. 9.
  15. ↑ "Elevator Operators Will Pay 25% Rental Increase", Chicago Tribune. March 19, 1939. p. 18.
  16. ↑ "Cleaners Plan 20 More Units For Next Year", Chicago Tribune. p. 11.
  17. ↑ Blue Book of Chicago Commerce. The Chicago Association of Commerce. 1924-1925. p. 711. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  18. ↑ Scientific Space Selection. Audit Bureau of Circulations. 1921. pp. 19-20. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Newspaper and Journalistic Organizations of U.S.", Editor & Publisher. January 22, 1921. p. 50. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Loop Drug Store Robbed of $1,000 by Two Gunmen", Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  21. ↑ "Loop Bandit Kidnaps Girl; Is Captured", Chicago Tribune. August 10, 1948. p. 1.
  22. ↑ Chase, Al. "New State St. Shops to Cost a Half Million", Chicago Tribune. November 24, 1953. p. B7.
  23. ↑ "Boys Lunch With Cardinal", Chicago Tribune. December 18, 1963. p. A5.
  24. ↑ Remy, Harold; Mullen, William. "Insurance Executive Pabst Shot", Chicago Tribune. June 3, 1971. p. 1.
  25. ↑ "Illinois migrants get $1.1 million in U.S. aid", Chicago Tribune. April 3, 1977. p. B33.
  26. ↑ DeBartolo, Anthony. "A Time to Give", Chicago Tribune. December 18, 1985. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Black Feminists to open 3-day conference here", Chicago Tribune. October 17, 1977. p. 2.
  28. ↑ Zeleny, Jeff. "Guardian Angels Still Seek Wings", Chicago Tribune. March 10, 1997. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Inside election battle stations", Chicago Tribune. March 21, 1984. p. N13.
  30. ↑ Corfman, Thomas A. "Germans put Burnett Building on market", Chicago Tribune. March 12, 2003. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  31. ↑ "Feds invade State Street", Crain's Chicago Business. November 14, 2005. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  32. ↑ "A Bright Future for Century and Consumers Buildings Archived January 12, 2020, at the Wayback Machine", Preservation Chicago. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  33. 1 2 Kozlarz, Jay. "State Street apartment plan derailed over security concerns at nearby courthouse", Curbed. December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  34. 1 2 Ori, Ryan. "$141 million project to bring 429 apartments to State Street", Chicago Tribune. June 1, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  35. 1 2 Ori, Ryan. "$141 million State Street development halted over federal courthouse security concerns", Chicago Tribune. December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Century & Consumers Buildings – Most Endangered 2022", Preservation Chicago. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  37. ↑ Channick, Robert. "Chicago's annual list of most endangered buildings includes two historic skyscrapers the federal government wants to demolish", Chicago Tribune. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  38. ↑ Rodkin, Dennis. "These are the most endangered places in Chicago", Crain's Chicago Business. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
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