Group Releases 2023 List of Its Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois

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The group Landmarks Illinois has released its annual list of the most endangered historic structures in the state, with six of them in the Chicago area.

According to the group, the nine sites are threatened by a variety of factors, including “deterioration, lack of maintenance, insufficient funds or inappropriate development.”

Six of the sites are in the NBC 5 viewing area in northeastern Illinois, with other sites listed in downstate Charleston, Brooklyn and Cairo.

Two of the threatened sites are in Chicago, with the Century and Consumers Buildings, located on State Street in the Loop, one of the buildings that is threatened with demolition, according to the group.

Federal officials are pushing to demolish the structure, but Chicago officials have said that they would consider landmarking the site, according to Block Club Chicago.

The Damen Silos, located in McKinley Park along the Chicago River, are also on the list, with MAT Asphalt seeking to demolish the structures in a move that activists have fiercely opposed.

According to Atlas Obscura, a 1977 explosion left a processing factory at the site unusable, but many tunnels remain unsealed at the site, with artists and urban explorers consistently using the site.

Deerfield’s Baxter International Headquarters is also threatened with demolition, as is the Alexander Brothers Blacksmith Shop in suburban Geneva, which has stood for nearly 180 years, with community officials seeking input on what to do with the structure.

An historic wooden bridge in Richmond is also on the list, with the group saying that it is one of two wooden bridges remaining from the community’s settlement years in the 1800’s. A lack of maintenance could cause the bridge to collapse, the group says.

The website Waymarker highlights the bridges in the community, with one of the bridges crossing the Illinois Prairie Trail.

Finally, the Oak Cottage in Naperville is at risk of being demolished by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.

The group says it plans to continue to work with local residents and officials to preserve and reuse the buildings on the list.

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