A 117-year-old South Loop commercial loft building was designated as an official Chicago landmark by City Council today.

Designed by Simeon B. Eisendrath and completed in 1899, the Plymouth Building at 417 S. Dearborn St. combines fine detailing and craftsmanship that exemplifies the revolution in high-rise design that occurred in Chicago in the last two decades of the 19th century.

The building’s early steel-frame construction and Collegiate Gothic ornament added in 1945 conveys an evolutionary history that reflects its various roles within the city’s central business district, according to the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, which recommended the building for landmark status in August 2016. The building housed a variety of printing firms, commercial artists, and advertising agencies and, from 1945 to 1978, served as the headquarters of the LaSalle Extension University (LSEU), a nationally-recognized, long-distance correspondence school.

Currently vacant, the 11-story building was purchased this year by LG Development, which plans to turn the property into a 27-unit, 81-bed student housing complex.

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