The Thompson Center in downtown Chicago is on top of this year’s Landmarks Illinois “Most Endangered Historic Places” list.
The nonprofit group has put out a list every year since 1995 highlighting historic sites it says need help. This year the list includes a number of government-owned structures. The group said that demonstrates challenges posed by limited funding and budget cuts. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has proposed selling the Thompson Center as the state nears two years without a budget.
The Thompson Center opened in the North Loop to much fanfare — at a cost of $172 million — and won the coveted “distinguished building award” from AIA Chicago a year later. The architecture went out of style, and today many Chicagoans consider the the building an eyesore, Crain’s Chicago Business reporter Dennis Rodkin told Morning Shift last year.
Other Chicago places to make this year’s list include a rotunda at O’Hare International Airport and the Singer Pavilion on Chicago’s South Side, which was part of the now-closed Michael Reese Hospital.
The list also includes historic bridges and World War I monuments across Illinois along with Route 66.
