(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Local nonprofit Landmarks Illinois has announced its 2024 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois, and a few Chicago-area buildings made the list.
Bonnie McDonald, Landmarks Illinois president and CEO, said long before there was the Sears Tower — which, of course, is now the Willis Tower — Sears called the West Side home. Specifically, it was headquartered on West Arthington Street near South Homan Avenue.
“The first site of our 2024 list is the Sears Administration Building in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood,” McDonald said. “The large, five-story building is part of a sprawling former Sears, Roebuck and Co. campus on the West Side. The campus was constructed in 1905 and led by Sears President Julius Rosenwald, who was also known for his founding of the Museum of Science and Industry.”
The building is also listed as a national historic landmark.
The Portage Theater, located on Chicago’s Northwest Side in the Six Corners area, also made the list.
“Built in 1920, the Portage Theater is a highly visible local landmark in the city’s Northwest Side Portage Park neighborhood,” McDonald said. “It is architecturally noteworthy, and it served as an important cultural institution for decades.”
The theater operated continuously for 80 years, she said. Between 2001 and 2018, though, Portage Theater changed ownership multiple times. It was rehabilitated and reopened but experienced inconsistent success.
Another site on the endangered list included Blue Island’s Libby, McNeill and Libby Building, which was once a canning and bottling factory. Landmark Illinois said the factory was “an economic engine” for the community and employed hundreds of local residents and migrant workers until it closed in 1968.
Landmarks Illinois’ full list can be found online.
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