80 Comments - Not quite a majority - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 1:56 pm: The Governor does realize there are more than just one Constitutional Officer in those buildings, right? Sec of State, Comptroller, Treasurer, Att Gen. — this isn’t New Jersey where the Gov has complete control. - Anonymous - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 1:58 pm: Is this a plan to move operations out of Chicago or a plan to relocate within Chicago? - Precinct Captain - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 1:59 pm: You mean Rauner’s rock stars already on staff couldn’t just come up with a plan themselves? - Demoralized - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:03 pm: @Not quite a majority CMS manages the JRTC. In this case (unless there’s an angle I’m missing here) the Gov does have complete control. - Fire Marshall Bill - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:03 pm: Plenty of space here in Des Plaines at the 9511 Harrison building. Half-empty, ex-high school bought by the State for $1 when it shuttered in the 90s. Come on over! (PS. Some of the Breakfast Club movie was shot here) - John Parnell - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:04 pm: The Thompson Center looks like an old outdated building that needs a lot of upgrading. The sale of the Bilandic Building makes even more sense. It is something like a 1930″s building that makes you feel like Sam Spade will come out of his detective office at any time. - VanillaMan - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:06 pm: Move as many as you can, back to the state capitol. You want to reduce costs, Mr. Rauner? Stop allowing Illinois to maintain two state capitols. - Skeptic - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:06 pm: (snark) “You mean Rauner’s rock stars already on staff couldn’t just come up with a plan themselves?” Not when you have a buddy who needs a big fat contract. (/snark) - DuPage Moderate - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:08 pm: Still don’t quite get the people who come on here an criticize every action this guy is taking. Yeah, there’s certainly some valid criticism, but we’re in a world of hurt - and unfortunately a lot of unpopular actions need to be taken. What else do you want the guy to do? The status quo won’t work. - Skeptic - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:09 pm: And I hear there’s an old Wal-Mart in Harrison that could hold quite a few people with just a little updating…. Back to the topic: Major disruption. Expect fewer offices, more cubicles and smaller of both. And lots of disgruntled employees. And I expect minimal savings after all the dust (literally and figuratively) clears. - anon - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:10 pm: Hopefully a large number of employees will be hired to work in Springfield. - Michelle Flaherty - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:10 pm: Does that mean the legislative hearing room in the Bilandic Building won’t be named after Barickman and Sandack to commemorate their NRI performances? Where are the historic preservationists when you need them? - And I Approved This Message - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:12 pm: Just implement Diana Rickert’s plan to fire everybody and save the costs of the appraisal and relocation. It really is the answer to everything! - zonz - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:12 pm: If so, the rock bottom rate PSF paid by *ALL* JRTC state entities will quickly vanish. Who’d want to own it unless the price is huge bargain? - D.P.Gumby - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:13 pm: Well, DuPage, I’d like to see him actually propose some legislation to implement some of his grand “turnaround” ideas. I’d like to see him put real dollars into a budget plan that doesn’t just cherry pick small programs that help the most needy. I’d like to see a realistic revenue proposal. I’d like to see a realistic constitutional proposal on pensions. The reason he gets criticized is that all he’s been doing is blowing hot air about trivia rather than seriously governing. He wanted the job but doesn’t seem to want to do it. - Juvenal - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:13 pm: bulldozer time…. Don’t you think Trump wishes his tower had a train station in the basement and Pedway access? But as Skeptic notes, little cost savings at the end of the day, and plenty of scandal ahead in all of the contracts. - Anon - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:13 pm: I’ve always wondered what other large states with major cities that are not the state capitol city do to handle State offices in their big cities. New York City, Los Angeles, etc. - Anon - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:13 pm: I believe work rules do not allow certain employees to be transferred unilaterally to other counties. If an employee is certified in Cook County, he/she cannot be transferred to Sangamon without his/her approval. Obviously, this can change with the contract negotiations. Des Plaines and other half-empty buildings make sense as possible Cook County destinations. - Arizona Bob - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:17 pm: This white elephant will be tough to appraise. Space usage is very low efficiency, and HVAC problems there have been legendary in the industry. They’re also let the place sink into serious disrepair. It’s also my understanding that there’s plenty of better space currently vacant in the loop without all the problems found in this one. I don’t know what the total space utilization needs are, but there are a lot of schools currently vacant that could be obtained very inexpensively and easily converted to office use.(NOT in Chicago) Doesn’t the state and Federal Government have huge amounts of vacant space they own in the city and burbs? BTW, you can bet some dirty dealing will go on. When the old St Rita HS was falling apart (trees were growing on the roof from leaking and molding roofing, CPS bought it from the Archdiocese for a million bucks, even though its salvage value was pretty much zip. CPS built a brand new school on the site, in which the “community” promptly busted out all the windows and trashed the place. Our tax dollars at work! (at least for some…) - RNUG - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:17 pm: What’s with the logistics contract? I know people working for the State that do that every day. - Team Sleep - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:21 pm: This reminds me of the old Onion article about President George W. Bush calling up a debt consolidation company and signing up for their signature plan. - Anon - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:22 pm: Put the casino there. - Earl of Sandwich - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:23 pm: This garbage again. The building is more efficient than the general public thinks. The land is valuable. Yes. The building was obsolete when built. Yes. However, It makes sense to have as many agencies as possible in the same building. People who have not worked in state government don’t get it. Note that only Rod and Rauner suggested this. Also, there is a lot of interplay with city and county government, directly across the street. It’s not pretty, but it works. - Demoralized - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:25 pm: Three buildings that have annoyed me the most as far as the state’s concerned (and I’m sure there are more I just haven’t had the opportunity to visit them) are the JRTC, the Revenue building in Springfield, the IDOT headquarters in Springfield and the DNR building on the fairgrounds. All of them have a tremendous amount of wasted space. - Demoralized - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:25 pm: That should say FOUR buildings. Sheesh. - Stones - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:29 pm: I don’t mind selling the Thompson Building as it has been a boondoggle from the start. That being said, it’s simply unrealistic to send most state offices to the Capitol and away from the largest city. It’s been tried and it failed before. - Sir Reel - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:30 pm: Who exactly works at CMS? Seems like the work that’s being contracted for - “management and logistical services” - isn’t so specialized that it requires outside help. If this goes forward, I bet after the fire sale and contact work the State will net peanuts. - haverford - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:32 pm: @ Parnell - Bilandic actually had some money put into it; I think it’s got LEED gold certification or something. From a 2009 press release: “In 2009, CDB completed an $8 million climate control system retrofit for the Michael A. Bilandic Building, a 21 story office and courts building, which featured the installation of new heater a nd chiller units that have reduced energy consumption by more than 15 percent per year.” Actually seems like that might be the better sale. Move everyone in to the JRTC, and mitigate the cost by selling an actual attractive property. In all honesty, the Thompson center should be a teardown. It’s criminal to waste that much space in a loop building (not to mention the horrific energy costs). - Chicago Hack - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:32 pm: I’m critical of the Gov in lots of areas, but I am intrigued on what his plans could be for state office consolidation. - Tournaround Agenda - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:36 pm: I’m…honestly not all that mad about this. - Soccermom - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:37 pm: Ugh. JRTC. When I closed the door of my old office, it got so cold in the winter that a thick layer of frost covered my window. - anon - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:41 pm: I’m sure it is Rauner’s fault the Thompson Center is a run down mess—-at least for several posters here. For the open slots in state government, hire in Sangamon County and let the number of Cook county employees start to dwindle. - Anonymous - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:46 pm: [For the open slots in state government, hire in Sangamon County and let the number of Cook county employees start to dwindle.] I’m sure Rauner isn’t planning on hiring more employees in either Cook or Sangamon. - Michelle Flaherty - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:47 pm: Demoralized, the absence of the Stratton Office Building from your list of properties is a glaring omission. SOB makes Willard Ice look like Nike’s Corp campus. - Demoralized - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:48 pm: So some of you obviously think the state should have absolutely no employees in the City of Chicago. Ridiculous. - Efficiency - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:48 pm: I know of several floors where there are two or three people occupying an entire half-floor of space at the MABB. Check it out, CMS! - grumpy - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:49 pm: I don’t think this is just about saving money. It is also about eliminating the physical presence of State government. Thompson Center is a prominent civic landmark, and it would be a sad day for Illinois if it was sold and converted into a gambling casino or such. Perhaps a victory for those who really hate Illinois. Selling off valuable properties is a basic action item in private equity acquisitions. Rauner may very well be planning on selling off everything of value owned by the State. Just as Mayor Daley did with public street parking spaces. Lots of opportunities for the well positioned to get rich. - walker - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:49 pm: If Rauner pulls this off, it would be a great signal of seriousness to the public, and a political winner. Whether or not it turns out to be a good financial deal. - Anonymous - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:57 pm: From Wiki “When he first came to office, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich proposed selling the building to assuage the state budget.[5] The proposal was heavily criticized.[5] Lawmakers at first agreed to the plan,[6] but later a $200 million mortgage was agreed to instead, payable over 10 years.[7] The plan was declared unconstitutional by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in June 2004.[8] The plan was set aside, although it had already cost the state $532,000 in legal fees.[9]” - Rich Miller - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 2:57 pm: ===Selling off valuable properties is a basic action item in private equity acquisitions=== OK, but is it valuable or a beat up old rust-bucket? - Anonymous - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:00 pm: With Inflation, add legal fees–the next Wiki post could say–The plan was set aside, although it had already cost the state $2million in legal fees. - Downstate Employee - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:00 pm: As a Sangamon-adjacent resident with advanced degrees, I approve of bringing state functions back downstate, because I’m competing for many more jobs in a much smaller pool of qualified applicants. I think having state government downstate is a great deal because I get to live in a small community with low-cost housing and short commutes while doing interesting work. I was the only Ivy League grad who applied for my particular job and stood out just from my resume. That never happened when I was in Chicago. But let’s be serious, you’re giving up the option to hire a lot of really talented professionals who aren’t going to leave the Chicago area, and a lot of state employees are two-income households who are going to have to find employment for a spouse too. That’s a lot harder downstate. It works great for me. It won’t work for many people, and the state will miss out on a lot of talent. - 100 Miles West - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:01 pm: JRTC will make a great casino. - Skeptic - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:06 pm: Maybe make the JRTC into a concert venue? You’ve got that big open area, and 16 stories of front-row seats to sell. And who cares about HVAC? - Former Merit Comp Slave - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:06 pm: Anon when state police consolidated their communications centers, dispatchers had the options of taking the transfer, taking another position in their county if they were qualified and there was an opening, or quit/retire, all sanctioned by the union. As far as selling the place I’d want to see the numbers before commenting. There are many, many run down state buildings in the state because upkeep was cast aside for budgetary reasons for many years. - Nicholas - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:07 pm: It will make a fine looking Bus Station. - Anon - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:09 pm: It could actually work as a casino. All the trains converge under it. A multi-level parking garage could go on the roof after demo and rebuild. - kj - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:22 pm: State offices should move to a place where land is cheaper and advancements are easier to make within the city. Let a property developer put a couple buildings on the block. - Stones - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:23 pm: Personally, I don’t think the Thompson Center building would make a good casino. Do we really want something like that located in the heart of the loop? It would be interesting to hear from some architects to see if the current building could be made more useful or if it is better off as a tear down. - Norseman - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:26 pm: I’ll take beat up old rust-bucket for $10 million Rich. - zonz - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:30 pm: silk purse … sow’s ear discuss ………………. - Stones - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:23 pm: Personally, I don’t think the Thompson Center building would make a good casino. Do we really want something like that located in the heart of the loop? It would be interesting to hear from some architects to see if the current building could be made more useful or if it is better off as a tear down. - Anonymous - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:31 pm: At the rate it’s deteriorating, it might just fall down on its own. That would save a buyer some demolition costs - Demoralized - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:33 pm: ==the absence of the Stratton Office Building from your list of properties is a glaring omission.== That’s in a different category. My list was wasted space only. I worked in the Stratton Building for 7 years. I’m certain I’ll be part of a class action mesothelioma lawsuit one day. - 100 Miles West - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:34 pm: If you don’t like casino. Those of us who have worked in the JRTC know it has enough natural water features to be an indoor water park. - Dirty Red - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:39 pm: Second RNUG’s comment. Although it certainly makes it easier to bypass the CMS bureaucracy if you outsource the job. I would imagine this puts at least some pressure on mayors and city councils to adopt the turnaround resolution. A whole bunch of middle-class government jobs might just be up for grabs soon if you’re on board. I couldn’t help but notice the new Springfield mayor, who received a lot of union support, has not sworn off passing the resolution. - permanent partial disability - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:48 pm: Let’s call the building in its current condition what it is today, a dump. It wastes enormous amounts of space. How about selling the building for retrofitting as a downtown casino/hotel that would fit in among the various stages and theaters in that district? From the outside, it looks like a casino. - Bigtwich - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:52 pm: I do not like the Thompson Center and care litter what happens to it but the line from the Earl, “Note that only Rod and Rauner suggested this.” got my attention. But if the building be sold or cleared for green space those employees are not coming to Springfield. - Anon - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 3:53 pm: I don’t know on which side of City Hall the mayor’s office is, but it would be funny if a casino went right outside his window after he asked for one. - Daryl - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 4:03 pm: Well, Rich, you really opened the door to more Chicago-bashing from the downstaters who don’t seem to understand the largest city in the state requires a state government presence. I know you people irrationally hate us up here, but the suggestion you just move all state jobs to Springfield is laughable. Are you suggesting the same thing for state offices in Marion or Carbondale? - Anonin' - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 4:08 pm: Did BVR find a way to evade the Surplus Property Act? - anon - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 4:09 pm: Da-Ro, nobody is suggesting that Chicago be void of a state government presence. They are suggesting the return of many state positions that Blago moved to Chicago. Hopefully that happens, since this is the state capitol. - Cassandra - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 4:09 pm: Maybe they could start a work at home program for those displaced from JRTC. Computer, Skype, no commuting, saves the environment. Time to move into the 21st. - Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 4:16 pm: Demo, 8 years in Stratton. Maybe we can be the lead plaintiffs lol. I have mixed feelings about the JRTC, having been part of the CMS crew that opened the building and lived through the early nightmare years. There was a time when the HVAC systems worked fairly well, though clearly that time had passed by the time Soccermom got there. Despite renowned expert on everything AB’s worries, appraisers can and will put a value on the property. I suspect it ain’t gonna be too impressive. The combination of disrepair and more importantly that the building was designed for single-tenant occupancy (and would be very expensive to remodel to multi-tenant) will combine to significantly depress the market value of the building as-is. I honestly don’t know enough to say if the ground is worth more than the building, but I’m inclined to say no. I can say with some certainty that no casino operator wants this building at this location unless it’s given to them, which is unlikely. The Bilandic Building is somewhat easier to subdivide and is in much better condition-the State may want to sell it and repair JRTC. I can understand the terms of the RFP-the Rauner folks may have determined that CMS doesn’t have the horses that it did back when RNUG and I were there (obviously, lol) and wants private sector backup. - Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 4:19 pm: Actually, Anonin’ , the first step in property disposition under the surplus real property law is securing appraisals. - Norseman - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 4:40 pm: AA, you probably know better than I, but I was under the impression that the original plan was to get rid of the State of Illinois Building (renamed Bilandic Building). That changed after JRTC opened and they remodeled the SOIB/BB. After the remodeling, I found BB to be a far better facility to work in than JRTC. I do know that our agency moved out of JRTC to a private building because of its rundown condition. With respect to Rauner’s action, I don’t reject it automatically. At some point in our fiscal crisis, an analysis of assets are in order. My concern is that I don’t trust Rauner’s crew to make a reasonable analysis of state needs versus desire to grab any money they can. - Earl of Sandwich - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 4:42 pm: Daryl: Who said Rich said that? - Soccermom - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 4:44 pm: I understand the importance of a strong state government presence in the state’s largest city. But gosh, that building is so hard to work in. I once had an “office” that had no walls — just a corner that was open to three floors. So loud, so uncomfortable. ugh. - Earl of Sandwich - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 4:53 pm: Soccermom: I know those corners and got used to it. The loudest noise in that building was when OJ Simpson was acquitted of murder. - Earl of Sandwich - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 4:54 pm: It was celebratory. Went on for a while. - grumpy - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 5:07 pm: The value of Thompson Center may be in the neighborhood of $500,000,000 but it holds tremendous potential profit for a flipper who can rehab it, fill it with commercial tenants, and resell it. Particularly if that developer can get it for a low price. The perception of it as a rust bucket is mostly political, and worn carpets. It’s temperature control problems were fixed in the 90’s. It has great potential due to its location and iconic architecture, notwithstanding the Chicago-blue panels which are universally disliked. I cant imagine the international shame Illinois’ image would suffer by selling it. It would be an admission of civic decline. Will Rauner also sell the Springfield Capitol building, to be converted into a shopping mall? - Soccermom - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 5:17 pm: And the school choirs. Dear lord, the school choirs. Again, it’s great that there’s a central location for these groups to perform, but if you don’t have an office with a door, it can be almost impossible to transact business. - Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 5:34 pm: Norseman, that was indeed the original plan. The judicial branch, among others, expressed interest in the SOIB and it was nicely remodeled. Grumpy, do you realize the work entailed in making that building suitable for commercial multi-use, then marketing and leasing a MILLION square feet of space? Even if some developer felt like tackling that risk, no lender nowhere is going to fund it. - Earl of Sandwich - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 5:37 pm: Mom: Very few had an office with a door; and most that did went out to lunch at fancy places (not the basement) anyway. There were no doors on the majority of offices. The protesters, regardless of what they were protesting, were worse than the school choirs, who could be bad. I’ll watch Jubilee Showcase on TV at home. - relocated - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 5:54 pm: I dont get the criticism based on the wasted space. As if total efficiency was the hallmark by which you guage architecture. The building has its issues and criticizing its comdition, purpose, or value is fair game, but complaining about wasted space is silly. As for the rhetoric about moving the state Capitol back to springfield. The largest city in the state does deserve a state government presence, no complaints there. But during the Blagojevich administration a lot of management positions were relocated to chicago while a major part of the workforce remained in Springfield. Its a total pain to have to call chicago to deal with certain cms functions that are a block away from the capitol building. - Wordslinger - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 6:05 pm: AA makes a lot of good points on the unique problems in selling the building. Seriously, how could you re-purpose it for multiple tenants? As far as a casino goes…. where? The food court? I guess Cirque de Soleil could put on a whale of a show. I’m leaning that the verdict comes back “tear down.” - DuPage Dave - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 6:58 pm: I have to disagree with Grumpy. The temperature problems persist. It’s too hot or too cold pretty much all year on my floor. - JoanP - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 8:17 pm: Helmut Jahn should be forced to buy it and move his offices there. Then maybe the problems with it would be fixed. - John Gregory - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 8:29 pm: For those curious about other comparable states to Illinois. The JRTC has 1.2 million square feet of space. In California, the state owns an approximately 825,000 square foot building in LA called the Ronald Reagan State Building. It was supposed to be part of a sale of state property which started under Schwarzenegger, but was halted when Jerry Brown took office. This was similar to Blagojevich’s idea–sell the buildings, rent the space. Those offices involved in the deal were in LA, Oakland, San Francisco, and Santa Rosa. In New York, there is no one centralized state building, with departments scattered throughout Manhattan. For example, both the governor’s office and their DCEO equivalent, Empire State Development, reside in 633 3rd Avenue, renting about 140,000 square feet. - Cmn98 - Tuesday, May 12, 15 @ 9:45 pm: This one is up in the air, not sure what they will do. - Late to the Party - Wednesday, May 13, 15 @ 7:28 am: 1) Build an office building. 2) Do not maintain building. 3) Sell building. 4) Wonder where the money went. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.