Preservationists call two Elgin sites endangered
A circular medical building designed by modernist architect Bertrand Goldberg and a Classical Revival-style religious publishing house are two Elgin area landmarks that are endangered, a preservation group announced Thursday.
Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois also included a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in Glencoe on its Chicagoland Watch List, an annual compilation of historically significant properties that could be lost for good.
The designation doesn't come with any monetary award for rehabilitation, but Elgin preservationists hope the move shines a light on the city's history and spurs action.
"The whole purpose of this is to heighten awareness to encourage adaptive reuse," said Bill Briska, a member of Elgin's Heritage Commission and Elgin Area Historical Society.
The David C. Cook Publishing Co., built in 1901 at 850 N. Grove Ave. for a religious publishing business and now called Cook Communications Ministries, is one of two Elgin sites on the watch list.
A few years ago, a developer pushed for condominiums at the site, but neighbors rallied against it and the plan fell through.
"It seems to be out of an immediate threat," said Lucy Elliot, a member of Advocates to Revitalize Cultural and Historic Elgin Sites, or ARCHES. "It's something we have to watch. That's why we're pleased it made the list. It's been an anchor in that neighborhood."
Three buildings at the Elgin Mental Health Center also made the list. Two of them, a laundry facility that looks like a radiator on its side and a circular medical building, were designed by noted modernist architect Bertrand Goldberg and built in the 1960s.
The third, a masonry barn erected in 1890, is believed to be the oldest building of its type in Kane County.
Briska believes the Cook site has the best chance for being incorporated into a new development. The Goldberg buildings are in a poor location, but are still significant, he said.
"The (circular medical) building was innovative at the time, but it wasn't one of Goldberg's best designs," Briska said. "There are some underrecognized properties in town that have a lot of potential."