The Century and Consumers high-rises in the Loop would both be designated as official Chicago Landmarks under a pair of recommendations introduced to City Council today by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.

The Century, completed in 1916 at 202 S. State St., is a rare, surviving “tall shops” building that housed retailers and wholesalers on multiple floors when the city’s principal shopping corridor primarily consisted of low-rise structures and department stores. Designed by Holabird &Roche, the 16-story, Gothic-style high rise served mostly professional tenants in later years. Featuring a steel frame, plate glass windows, terra-cotta cladding and other character-defining features of the Chicago School of architecture, the building’s designation would help protect its exterior and two-story base from alteration while providing flexibility for potential rehabilitation and new uses.

The Consumers, completed in 1913 at 220 S. State St., served traditional commercial tenants in need of wide-open floor plans and ample sunlight made possible by the structure’s thin, vertical piers and narrow spandrels that are typical of the Chicago School of Architecture. Designed by Mundie & Jensen, the 21-story, Classical Revival-style high-rise is completely clad in white terra cotta and its elevator lobby still possesses original marble finishes. The designation would help protect the building’s exterior, entrance vestibule and lobby from alteration while providing flexibility for potential rehabilitation and new uses.

Both structures are contributing buildings to the Loop Retail Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. Both have stood vacant since being purchased in 2005 by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), which owns and manages the adjacent Dirksen courthouse complex.

In 2022, Congress appropriated $52 million for the demolition of both buildings and two smaller structures at 208 and 214 S. State St. The funding triggered a federally mandated Section 106 process to consider the effect of demolition and possible alternatives that is nearing conclusion. A two-part charrette focused on architectural options and potential new uses that address federal concerns was completed in early December.

A petition to preserve the structures currently has approximately 24,000 signatures at Change.org.

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