(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The organization Preservation Chicago held a rally outside the James R. Thompson Center Wednesday in hopes of getting the building added to the National Register of Historic Places.
“I think we have to respect that the building should be protected, and this is one of the tools that we use across the country to encourage reuse of historic buildings,” Ward Miller, the group’s executive director, said.
According to Miller, the Illinois State Historic Sites Advisory Council and other state officials likely will block the designation at a hearing on Friday.
Because the state-owned Thompson Center is up for sale, preservationists fear the 17-story building will be demolished and converted into a skyscraper. The City Council approved zoning changes in May.
“I think the loss of the Thompson Center could be a real blow to Chicago,” Miller said.
Adding the Thompson Center to the national register wouldn’t protect it from demolition, he said, but it would make the building eligible for federal tax incentives that could cover up to 20% of redevelopment costs.
“We want to see everybody step up to the plate, realize the significance of the building and protect it, even if its use and its ownership has to change,” Miller said.
If approved for the National Register of Historic Places, the advisory council’s recommendation can be used to determine whether the nomination should be forwarded to the National Park Service.
If the state doesn’t back a nomination, preservation groups say they would consider sending their own nomination directly to the National Park Service.
State government hopes to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from the Thompson Center’s sale. Officials insist it’s too costly to renovate.
The postmodern, glass-encased building was designed by the late Helmut Jahn.
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