Preservation Chicago Marks 1870s Office Building “Endangered”

Preservation Chicago’s list of historic properties at risk of demolition or severe deterioration includes one of the Loop’s oldest buildings, which is hamstrung by absent tenant McDonald’s.

Its owner, Steven DeGraff, envisions a residential conversion for the eight-story Delaware Building, at 36 West Randolph Street, which dates back to the Great Chicago Fire, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

His plans stalled due to McDonald’s, which shuttered a restaurant occupying the first two floors but retained a long-term lease on the space, impeding any renovation efforts.

“Their attitude is, ‘Buy me out,’” DeGraff told the outlet in 2023.

The vacant retail space appears “forlorn,” though is on a bustling corner near the Daley Center and the James M. Nederlander Theatre, Preservation Chicago wrote in its annual “Chicago 7” ranking of endangered historic properties.

The Delaware building was constructed after the fire by architects Wheelock & Thomas with an 1889 addition by Julius Huber. It is among the few surviving buildings that date to the city’s post-fire renewal.

Other properties on the list include eight Western Boulevard industrial buildings. Constructed with ventilation and fire prevention in mind, they stand as remnants of Chicago’s manufacturing legacy but face neglect and a shifting industrial market favoring modern facilities. Historic tax credits could aid in renovating them.

The Central Manufacturing District Clock Tower, an 11-story industrial structure at 200 West Pershing Road, was completed in 1917. It is in a state of disrepair, according to the ranking, with protective scaffolding shielding pedestrians from falling debris. Owner Imperial Realty has placed it and nearby warehouses on the market, opening the possibility of redevelopment.

The J.J. Walser House, built in 1903 by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, has stood vacant for six years. The structure requires urgent repairs due to prolonged neglect, the ranking said. Advocacy groups have undertaken temporary preservation measures, but full restoration of 42 North Central Avenue is uncertain.

The list features two Gothic Revival churches — Olivet Baptist Church in Bronzeville and St. Martin’s Church in Englewood — along with industrial landmarks like the Central Manufacturing District Clock Tower in McKinley Park and a cluster of early 20th-century factory buildings along Western Boulevard.

The Clarence Darrow Memorial Bridge, built in 1880, also made the list. It has been closed for over a decade due to structural deterioration, and Preservation Chicago called on the city to restore it while retaining its historic elements.

— Andrew Terrell

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