Trump administration seeks to sell Kluczynski Federal Building, 10 others in Chicago
The Trump administration has put "for sale" signs on hundreds of federal buildings — including nearly a dozen in Chicago.
Among the buildings is the John C. Kluczynski Federal Building at 230 S. Dearborn St. The 42-story office building was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and is part of Chicago's Federal Center — together with the Everett M. Dirksen Federal Courthouse across Dearborn Street, and the Loop Station Post Office.
The Kluczynski Federal Building houses Department of Labor, Drug Enforcement Administration, General Services Administration, and Internal Revenue Service offices, among others — as well as the offices of U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois).
The Dirksen Federal Courthouse and the post office are not on the list. But the list also includes several nearby buildings — including the Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building at 77 W. Jackson Blvd., which houses offices for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other government bodies, and the 11 West Quincy Court building, which was purchased in 2012 to house the Department of Labor.
The Harold Washington Social Security center at 600 W. Madison St., the U.S. Customhouse at 610 S. Canal St., and several other buildings — including some that do not house federal offices or facilities — are also among the 11 buildings designated as "non-core" properties the federal government wants to unload.
A spokesperson for the General Services Administration issued this statement:
"GSA's Public Buildings Service's foundational mission is to deliver cost-effective workspace solutions for its federal agency customers, enabling them to fulfill their missions for the American taxpayer.
"GSA is committed to being a smart steward of taxpayer dollars by cutting unneeded space and reducing costs. Non-core assets cost over $430M annually to operate and maintain, represent over $8.3 billion in recapitalization needs and often do not provide federal employees the high-quality work environments they need to fulfill their missions. The list of non-core assets is subject to change, and [Public Buildings Service] remains fully committed to meeting the mission needs of our customer agencies and delivering world class work environments for the federal workforce as they return to office."
