2023 Most Endangered Historic Places in Illinois revealed by Landmarks Illinois

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to tear down the Connell F. Smith Sr. Building, making it the fifth public housing complex in Cairo closed in recent years by the federal agency. The move will displace 60 residents in Illinois’ southernmost city and eliminate an opportunity to reuse the 1968 building in a community that is already experiencing a severe housing shortage.

Landmarks Illinois

At nearly 180 years old, the locally landmarked limestone structure is one of the oldest surviving commercial buildings in Geneva and represents an important part of the city’s industrial past. Following an unsuccessful demolition attempt in 2018, the structure’s owner, the Shodeen Family Foundation, is once again trying to tear it down.

Landmarks Illinois

The midcentury modern former health care company campus was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and built in 1972. The contract purchaser, Bridge Industrial, plans to demolish the existing buildings and replace them with warehouse logistics facilities.

Landmarks Illinois

Brooklyn, Illinois, is the oldest – and one of the last remaining – majority-Black incorporated towns in the country. It is threatened by a declining population, high unemployment rate and limited economy. The village has sold parcels of land to railroad companies, contributing to the ongoing disinvestment in this historically significant town located on the Mississippi River.

Landmarks Illinois

Owner MAT Asphalt is proposing to demolish the iconic 1906 former grain silos in McKinley Park to potentially build new office and trucking facilities. Local residents oppose the plans, which would rob Chicago of an important piece of its industrial history and prevent a more environmentally friendly and equitable redevelopment of this highly visible site along the Chicago River.

Landmarks Illinois

The cottage, built circa 1850 as a family home for early settler William Briggs Greene, is an important piece of local agricultural history. The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, which owns the property, is evaluating demolishing the cottage for open space if a third party does not propose a viable reuse for it.

Landmarks Illinois

The former hotel, originally built in 1874 as a family home, is located prominently next to Charleston’s historic courthouse square. The hotel has suffered damage from deferred maintenance during its more than 30 years sitting vacant and unused. Preservation efforts must begin soon or the building may become a public safety hazard and face demolition by neglect.

Landmarks Illinois

Built in the mid-1800s, this city-owned landmark is the last of two wooden bridges constructed in Richmond’s early settlement years. However, a lack of maintenance and no plan for its preservation mean that the bridge faces possible demolition by neglect.

Landmarks Illinois