The Shamrock Court Motel in Sullivan, Missouri. It can be yours for $125,000. Lots of possibilities. Actually, now you're too late. Missouri's Roamin' Rich bought it.

Friday, August 5, 2022

Illinois Most Endangered Sites 2021: The Thompson Center and 'Green Book'

From the May 6, 2022, Chicago Tribune "Endangered history:  From 'Green Book' sites to Thompson Center" by Charles j. Johnson.

They didn't list the 11 Most-Endangered Places in 2020 for some reason, but the Landmarks Illinois folks released their list of nine places, six of them in the Chicago and suburban counties.

Chicago's James R. Thompson Center made the list for the fourth consecutive time.  It is not known what will happen to the 1985 Loop building designed by Helmut Jahn.  (Just recently it appears that Amazon bought it.)

The rest of the list doesn't just include big downtown buildings but also more humble locations that hold enormous cultural significance.

Making the list for the first time are the state's "Green Book" sites.  The "Negro Motorist Green Book" was published between the 1930s and the 1960s as a guide for black people who faced refusal of service and the threat of violence in some areas while traveling, including Illinois in so-called "Sundown Towns" where a black person would be in serious trouble if they were still in town after the sun went down.

The guidebook was the title of the 2018 feature film.

--RoadDog


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