McCarthy Building (Chicago, Illinois)

McCarthy Building
McCarthy Building on the southwest corner of Block 37.
General information
Location	32 West Washington Street Chicago, Illinois  United States
Completed	1872
Demolished	1989
Technical details
Floor count	5
Design and construction
Architect	John M. Van Osdel

Construction photos of the new 22 West Washington Building, the first of the new 108 North State Street structures (2007-09-26 left from west, right from east)

McCarthy Building was a five-story Chicago Landmark building in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. The building, designed by John M. Van Osdel had been erected in 1872,^[1] but was demolished in 1989 during the clearing of what is known as Chicago's Block 37. In order to make way for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's redevelopment, the Chicago City Council had to revoke the building's landmark status in 1987.^[2] The building was located in the southwest corner of the block on the northeast corner of North Dearborn Avenue and West Washington Street.^[2][3] The building was privately owned at the time of the demolition.^[4]

The revocation of the landmark status was a hotly contested legal battle. In Landmarks Preservation Council v. City of Chicago, (125 Ill. 2d 164 (1988)) the Illinois Supreme Court refused to recognize the standing of several groups to challenge Chicago City Council ordinance that removed landmark status. The court found that the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter, American Institute of Architects lacked legal standing to make such a challenge because they could not "gain standing merely through a self-proclaimed concern about an issue, no matter how sincere." The court specifically rejected, as bases for standing, both the aesthetic interests of these parties and their "alleged right to participate in a public hearing" regarding the ordinance where the "municipality has bestowed that alleged procedural right apparently not as a legal entitlement but as a tool to assist the municipality in performing its legislative function."^[4]

The long-delayed Block 37 retail and office complex opened in 2009. The office building with the address of 22 West Washington occupies the former site of the McCarthy Building.

Gallery

• 

  Overhead view (facing east) of 22 West Washington and Block 37 (2007-09-14)

Notes

1. ^ "McCarthy Building, View". College of Architecture and the Arts-Slide Library. University of Illinois at Chicago. http://tigger.uic.edu/depts/ahaa/imagebase/intranet/slide_scans/961012/96.10.12.003.html. Retrieved 2007-09-24. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Roeder, David (2006-01-17). "An Old Tradition: Do federal shenanigans lurk behind Berghoff". Chicago Sun-Times. FindArticles. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060117/ai_n16002907. 
3. ^ "Illinois - Chicago Core Architecture Map". PlanetWare Inc.. 2007. http://www.planetware.com/map/illinois-chicago-core-architecture-map-us-ilch.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-24. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Illinois Court Opinions: No. 2--05--". FindLaw. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=il&vol=app/2006/2051180&invol=3. Retrieved 2007-09-24. 

See also

• McCarthy Building (disambiguation)

External links

• Pictorial block 37 information
• 108 North State Street Official Website