Preservation Chicago

Over the years, the buildings were torn down to make room for development, and plans for development have been debated, including a proposed megaproject known as Lincoln Yards.

Ward Miller is the executive director of Preservation Chicago.

He had hoped some of the buildings would have been saved, but he supports finding ways to preserve the history.

This is part of our history.

You know, we don't have to do the two-hour kind of lifespan, but like how does something like New York Life Insurance Building, an early skyscraper in Chicago, you know, how does this... become and evolve into a hotel like this, into the Kempton Gray?

Yeah, we're really fortunate that the Architectural Foundation of Chicago and Preservation Chicago stepped in and saved this building because it was sitting vacant and neglected for a number of years and could have been torn down.

But just as you mentioned, it was built in 1894.

It was one of the first skyscrapers in Chicago, which is hard to believe now, you know, when we have 100 floor skyscrapers.