| McCarthy Building | |
|---|---|
| McCarthy Building image2.jpg McCarthy Building on the southwest corner of Block 37. |
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| 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 |
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.
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