Century and Consumers Buildings

Preservation Futures developed a public information campaign to raise awareness of threats to these iconic Chicago Skyscrapers.

Location

Chicago, IL

Partners

Chicago Architecture Center
Alex Ensign

Client

Chicago Architecture Center

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These two historic Chicago high-rises were seized by the Federal government in 2005 to expand their office holdings, but never occupied. After rejecting a bid by private developers to adaptively reuse the buildings, the GSA now claims that they pose a security threat to the neighboring Dirksen U.S. Courthouse and must be demolished.

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Working with the Chicago Architecture Center and Alex Ensign, Preservation Futures developed a multimedia information campaign to raise awareness about the threats to the Century and Consumer Buildings. Including original research, short videos, and images, the campaign puts the proposed demolition in an economic, social, and environmental context for the public to consider.

Photo by Eric Allix Rogers

Watch the Video

Produced by Preservation Futures and Alex Ensign, narrated by Jonathan Solomon

The Century and Consumers Buildings: Their Complicated Saga and the Precedent They Might Set

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