Southwest Siders Call On Federal Agency To Preserve Damen Silos From Demolition – Block Club Chicago

MCKINLEY PARK Neighbors are asking the federal government to help preserve the Southwest Sides Damen Silos, a collection of grain elevators abandoned after a 1977 explosion.

Owner Michael Tadin, Jr., who bought the silos and the surrounding 23.4-acre property at 2900 S. Damen Ave. in 2022, applied for city demolition permits for each of the sites five buildings, city officials have said.

But an additional permit needs to be granted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Officials previously said the city would wait on the outcome of a federal review before approving or denying the permits on their end.

The permit process with the Army Corps of Engineers is needed because the site is positioned along the south branch of the Chicago River, and demolition could affect the course, condition or capacity of the water, Colin Smalley, a regulatory project manager with the agency, said at a Thursday meeting where neighbors voiced support for saving the silos.

The federal agency also classified the demolition as having adverse effects on historical property, under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Smalley said. Thats why they held the community meeting Thursday night in McKinley Park: to hear input on how the negative impacts could be resolved.

Thursdays public meeting was part of the Section 106 review process, which involves gathering community feedback, Smalley said. That input is taken into consideration when the Army Corps, the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office and MAT Limited Partnership negotiate a memorandum of agreement to address how the adverse effects on the property could be mitigated.

MAT Limited Partnership would have to comply with the memorandum of agreement as a condition of the Army Corps issuing its permit, and it would be enforceable by federal law, Smalley said.

Its all on the table, Smalley said regarding neighbors ideas for preserving the history of the Damen Silos.

MAT Limited Partnership, a group of businesses owned by Tadin,bought the silos and its landfrom the state in November 2022.A prominent neighborhood groupprotested the sale, and Southwest Sideenvironmental advocates asked the state to reconsider.

Tadin has previously generated controversy in the city: His MAT Asphalt plant in McKinley Park has beenat the center of protests by neighbors who say it is polluting the area,which company representatives have denied.

Demolishing the silos is the first step in rehabbing the site, Tadin previously said. The land would then need to be cleaned up, or remediated, before further development could begin.

Tadin previously said he was thinking about building headquarters for his businesses on the site, but no plan has been finalized, said Matt Baron, a spokesperson for Tadin.

About 100 people attended Thursdays meeting, and every person spoke in support of some type of preservation for the silos.

Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, said he sees this as an opportunity to have green space, public access and possibly a landmark designation at the site, instead of adding another potential polluter along the Chicago River.

In a community thats seen a lot of industrial toxins over time, its time to change that, Miller said. Whats good enough for Downtown Chicago with river walks is good enough for other areas of Chicago.

Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th), whose ward includes the Damen Silos, reiterated her support to see the structures preserved and revitalized with community input.

As were talking about preservation, we have to really think about what the intent of this space is, and we need to make sure that we protect that, she said.

Ramirez also said shes looking into possibly down-zoning the site to prevent it from being used for industry or manufacturing.

Baron said Tadin and MAT Limited Partnerships are committed to listening to residents and coming to a resolution through the memorandum of agreement.

In a separate statement, Tadin also said he wants to keep this process moving forward for the communitys immediate safety.

Despite retaining multiple security staff for the Damen Silos property, trespassing and other criminal activity continues to occur, Tadin said. I am very concerned that its not a matter of if, but when, something tragic happens there.

Anyone who didnt attend Thursdays meeting can submit a comment or question to the Army Corps of Engineers by sending an email to Colin.C.Smalley@usace.army.mil before 5 p.m. Feb. 9.

The silos have been beloved by urban explorers for years. They served as a backdrop in the 2014 film, Transformers: Age of Extinction.

The 15-story grain silos were built in 1906 by the Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, and they had the capacity for 400,000 bushels of grain. Graffiti now covers much of the interiors.

The state had owned the property since 1928, when it was deeded to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The property previously was used to mix construction materials for state roads, but IDOT transferred the property to Central Management Services for disposal in 2005, according to state officials.

The state ultimately sold the silos since they had no use for them, officials determined.

Preservation ChicagoandLandmarks Illinoisnamed the silos on their most endangered buildings lists in 2023.

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Southwest Siders Call On Federal Agency To Preserve Damen Silos From Demolition - Block Club Chicago