Elgin's David C Cook building closer to landmark status, against company's wishes
For the first time, the Elgin Heritage Commission has recommended landmarking a building against the owner's wishes.
The future of the 119-year-old David C Cook building at 850 Grove Ave. now rests with the Elgin City Council, which has final vote on the issue. The issue is scheduled to be in front of the council Oct. 28, according to Scott Day, attorney representing David C Cook.
The commission voted unanimously in favor of the designation, which would be a major obstacle to demolition unless the David C Cook company can show the city council there is too much of an economic hardship to keep the structure intact.
The company reports spending more than $500,000 in the past few years to keep the office building boarded up and secure after "overwhelming" damage to the building when a city water main burst in 2016, causing flooding of the office for more than 36 hours.
There are 11 criteria for Elgin landmarks. To be designated a landmark the site in question must meet at least six of the criteria. The city hired an architectural history professor at the School of the Art Institute who previously testified he believes the property meets nine of the 11 criteria.
In a statement provided to the Daily Herald, Cris Doornbos, CEO of David C Cook, said that "if the city takes away our ministry's property rights, it will set a precedent that could easily happen to any Elgin property owner in the future.
"Forcing us to divert millions of dollars from missional programs, to 'landmark' our property, against our will, is wrong. Today it's David C Cook, tomorrow it could be your home or business."
David C Cook's own estimate is that it will cost up to $2.6 million to demolish the building. The company is asking for a minimum of $4 million to sell the building, the same amount it estimates would be needed to rehab it into something usable.
The 24,000-square-foot office building has been vacant since 1994, when the Christian publishing company moved its headquarters to Colorado. David C Cook was at one point the second-largest employer in Elgin and was, for a time, the largest publisher of Sunday school literature in the world.
The building sits on an 8-acre property that includes a 200,000-square-foot warehouse in back, where the company still conducts publishing and distribution operations.
Before the final vote, several commission members sympathized with the company's economic position.
"The economic question, while we're compassionate about it, it goes to the council," Scott Savel said. "I don't think we can consider the economic ramifications. Our job is to tell the city council whether this meets that criteria (for landmark designation)," he said. "It's the city council's choice. We're not making landmark status here.
"It's a pretty simple decision that we're making right now."