State receives 2 bids to buy Thompson Center

An Illinois Department of Central Management Services spokesperson confirmed Saturday that two potential buyers have submitted their plans to acquire the Helmut Jahn-designed Thompson Center. | Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times

An Illinois Department of Central Management Services spokesperson confirmed Saturday that two potential buyers have submitted their plans to acquire the Helmut Jahn-designed Thompson Center.

Illinois is one step closer to selling the long-time controversial James R. Thompson Center.

Two potential buyers for the Thompson Center, the state government’s former base in the Loop, have emerged, with both groups submitting proposals to the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, an agency spokesperson confirmed Saturday.

What’s next for the 17-story building known for its all-glass sloping facade and domed skylight, however, remains a mystery. Details of the two proposals weren’t revealed in accordance with a state law that allows officials to keep the submissions concealed until a winning plan is picked.

Officials in Central Management Services have started to evaluate the proposals “to determine which is in the best interest of the State and its taxpayers,” the agency spokesperson said.

The state is expected to pick a bid by the end of this year and sign a purchase agreement by February, with the sale expected to officially close by April.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has been clear about his plans to sell the Helmut Jahn-designed Thompson Center, a building his administration has deemed “oversized, outdated and expensive.” He signed a bill in 2019 to begin the sale of the building, with a proposed three-year timeline to find a suitor.

Pritzker’s move sparked outrage from preservationists who’ve called Thompson Center “iconic” and believe it deserves landmark protection and creative ideas for reuse.

In September, The Chicago Architecture Center and the Chicago Architectural Club picked the winners of a global design competition for the Thompson Center. The top submissions transformed the steel frame, red and blue accents building into a waterpark, a “vertical Loop” of homes and commercial space with a rooftop vegetable garden, or a prototype building school.

Organizers of the contest hoped the results might influence public discussion about whether the Thompson Center can be saved from demolition.

Contributing: David Roeder

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