Updates on Capitol renovations
Thursday, Jun 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WAND…
The Architect of the Capitol brought political reporters through the construction zone Wednesday afternoon to show the latest work done on the North end of the building, including the Illinois Senate chamber on the third floor.
Andrea Aggertt said this project will help modernize the Capitol to address ADA compliance, security, and preservation of the historic property. […]
Aggertt explained senators should be able to return to their chamber and original offices in the North wing of the building in January 2025.
“For the next nine to ten months preceding that, we will return spaces back slowly,” Aggertt said. “So about every three months, we will open the new entrance, we’ll open the tunnels, we’ll open up the underground conference center.”
She also shared that there will be more green space around the Capitol Complex once the new entrance is finished. Aggertt also addressed rumors that the state could use funding from the Rebuild Illinois capital spending plan to tear down the William G. Stratton office building.
While the architect did not provide specific details or a timeline for that demolition, Aggertt said there will be even more room for green space once the Stratton building is removed sometime in the future.
* From the Bird App…
- Lurker - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 10:13 am:
“John, I know Bob The Builder and you sir are no Bob The Builder”
- OneMan - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 10:20 am:
Ummm, Bob, remember that “Can we fix it, yes we can” may have a different meaning than you expect in this building.
- Walter - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 10:24 am:
Maybe the architect should communicate with the employees impacted by this construction. We shouldn’t have to learn what’s going on via media reports.
- Love it! - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 10:50 am:
Those new chandeliers appear to be very eco-friendly.
- West Side the Best Side - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 11:00 am:
New chandeliers in the bathroom? Maybe that’s just a Florida thing.
- Lincoln Lad - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 11:16 am:
I remember when the thought was that the Stratton Building would ultimately be replaced with a new Michael J Madigan Center. I guess that ship has sailed, huh?
- Northsider - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 11:43 am:
For those new chandeliers (made them out of clay?) remember, kids:
Gimmel = take the pot
Hay = take half the pot
Shin = ante up
Nun = you get nothing (but don’t have to ante, either)
- thisjustinagain - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 12:24 pm:
I dunno; Bob’s got seniority, but John looks like he is happy to have just hired on with Local 6 and 7/8ths Laborers for the renovation.
- RNUG - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 12:30 pm:
I’m sure I’m in the minority, but I’m actually going to miss seeing the Brutalist architecture of the Stratton Building. And yes, I know it’s faults. I worked there for 10 years before shifting to a different building.
- Stuck in Celliniland - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 12:51 pm:
=I’m actually going to miss seeing the Brutalist architecture of the Stratton Building=
You will still have the pleasure to see the Stratton’s younger twin sibling while in downtown Springfield, called Municipal Center West.
- Give Us Barabbas - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 12:57 pm:
The genius of the Stratton building design was that it maximized the number of corner offices, the traditional mark of executive success was to command a corner office.
I’d say it’s not brutalist so much as mid century modern. Brutalist just means made primarily of raw unfinished concrete,it comes from a French term. It was pretty stylish in its heyday but suffered from badly designed “renovations” along the way. The state is a terrible tenant and a worse landlord.
- NorthSideNoMore - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 1:21 pm:
Bob… he has a talking bulldozer !
- RNUG - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 1:34 pm:
== it maximized the number of corner offices ==
Which is partly why they never expanded it by filling in the center sections as initially planned.
- John Patterson - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 2:08 pm:
Technically speaking, that selfie is taken where my Senate back hallway office was. I never knew there was a door to the Republican-side pressbox hidden within the wall. #GateKeeper
- state worker - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 2:40 pm:
What is wrong with the Stratton Building that requires a full tear down?
- Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 2:53 pm:
State worker,
The short answer is: everything.
There are health and environmental concerns in asbestos materials, hence the space-suited workers changing light bulbs when no one is in the office.
The un-insulated windows conduct heat in the summer and cold in the winter, making parts of the building borderline inhospitable. There are no screens on the windows so you might find pigeons in your office if you leave them open too long.
Numerous spaces have no light switches, which is why you see large floors with the lights on in the middle of the night.
HVAC is outdated and deteriorating. And you can insert electrical and plumbing for HVAC and that statement remains true.
You would have to essentially rebuild the building in place, and it is likely cheaper to just knock it down. By the way, the Stratton was heralded by local media when it opened and touted as coming in under budget.
You get what you pay for.
- Huh? - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 2:55 pm:
“seeing the Brutalist architecture”
IDOT Hanley Building.
- state worker - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 3:18 pm:
Michelle Flaherty:
Thank you so much for the run-down.
Well, that’s a shame and a waste. I’ve grown fond of the shabby building and don’t like to see buildings go into land fills.
- Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 3:56 pm:
State Worker, I was once of the opinion that the Stratton could be rejuvenated and reimagined. In asking around, I learned that the deeper you go into the building, the worse it is. In short, it’s just not worth it, which is too bad.
- btowntruth from forgottonia - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 4:54 pm:
Construction worker here.
I say Bob because his helmet isn’t crooked.
- btowntruth from forgottonia - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 4:57 pm:
Michelle:
When I worked a couple of asbestos jobs at the Stratton building there were some pipes that seemed to be held together by the rust on them.
And that was back around 2010.
- Anyone Remember - Thursday, Jun 15, 23 @ 7:43 pm:
The “important” question is are we going to be turn right on red at on eastbound Monroe at 2nd?