Century Building (Chicago)

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 General Services Administration and currently sits vacant.[4]

Not to be confused with Century Tower (Chicago).
Century Building
General information
Location202 S. State Street, Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates41°52′45.6″N 87°37′40.8″W
Completed1915
Height185.45 feet (56.53 m)
Technical details
Floor count16
Design and construction
ArchitectHolabird & Roche
EngineerHenry J. Burt[1]

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]

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References
  1. 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. "Preservation Chicago Unveils the 2011 Chicago 7 Most Threatened… The Century & Consumers Building", Preservation Chicago. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  3. "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. "State Street's Newest Skyscraper", Chicago Tribune. January 26, 1915. p. 7.
  6. "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. 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. 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", Preservation Chicago. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  33. Kozlarz, Jay. "State Street apartment plan derailed over security concerns at nearby courthouse", Curbed. December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  34. Ori, Ryan. "$141 million project to bring 429 apartments to State Street", Chicago Tribune. June 1, 2017. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  35. Ori, Ryan. "$141 million State Street development halted over federal courthouse security concerns", Chicago Tribune. December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
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