Structures Make Group's Endangered List

The preservation group Landmarks Illinois is announcing its annual list of the state's 10 most endangered historic places [pdf] today.

To make the list, a structure doesn't have to be falling down. Or particularly grand. Or even well-known. More likely, it's in danger of being taken for granted. That's the case for many on this year's list.

It includes a 1849 house along the Underground Railroad, the historic Spoon River Bridge, and the 16-thousand seat Assembly Hall at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

In Chicago, the old Daily News Building and its riverfront plaza made the list, as did Wrigley Field, which is sort of a bonus entry this year. Why Wrigley?

Landmarks Illinois says potential buyers could want the city to relax landmark rules.

The preservation group says it makes the yearly picks to bring attention to significant Illinois structures that could be lost or changed in a way that damages their historic nature.