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* I’ve believed for quite a while that the Thompson Center is an apt metaphor for Illinois government…
Chicago’s relationship with the Thompson Center has always been tortured. Jahn specified insulated double-paned windows for the glass-faced $172 million structure, which was known as the State of Illinois Center when it opened in 1985. But cost-cutting builders opted for single panes, creating a building that baked the government employees working inside. Stubborn air conditioning and heating woes persisted despite the best efforts of engineers to ameliorate the situation, and the building began to rack up millions of dollars of deferred maintenance.
In 2015, just after then-Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner proposed selling the beleaguered building, Chicago Magazine talked to unhappy state employees who worked there, who complained about threadbare carpets and noisy open-plan offices. What was supposed to be a monument to transparency in public service had become an example of government failure.
The state starts up a lot of well-meaning programs, then cheaps out because it’s already fiscally over-extended, or nothing works right because the state isn’t properly staffed and the regulations are onerous because somebody corruptly gamed the system in the past, and working for or with the state winds up being more trouble than it’s worth.
* The Question: More Thompson Center metaphors?
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 10:35 am
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We all get soaked.
Comment by The Captain Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 10:36 am
Running Scared At Work
Comment by AcademicUnionStateEmployee Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 10:39 am
Well since I never worked at the Thompson Center all I have to talk about is the Secretary of State facilities, the post office, and the food court.
Basically eat, sit, wait, and postal
Comment by Levois J Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 10:40 am
The Thompson center thinks it’s a state office building, but the food court, the El stop, the open areas inside and out…it’s really a common ground for Chicago.
THAT is a metaphor.
Comment by Arsenal Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 10:41 am
Red Light Cameras
Comment by Almost the Weekend Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 10:52 am
DCFS hiring needs and woes. Takes 3 seconds to recognize problems but 3-6mos to hire solutions; and, dumping money on 3rd party POS (purchase of service) contracts that underpay workers who then wait months to get same job for almost 2x the pay. If they are background checked to be a placement worker for contractor, accumulate 3yrs experience, why can’t they get state job in week or two once applying?
Comment by CentralILCentrist Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:00 am
From what I saw in my only visit to the JRTC over a decade ago, the building is like a mall with a bunch of State offices on top.
White Oaks Mall in Springfield is turning into something similar. Due to the railroad relocation EPA is slated to move to one of the old vacated anchor stores (I’m thinking the old Sears but I’m not sure). Maybe getting state offices into the mall might revitalize Springfield’s mall? Even though a lot of vacancies in the main courts.
Maybe State Board of Elections ought to consider moving from the beleaguered, declining Town and Counry Shopping Center out to the mall too. Didn’t they have problems with their HVAC at their T&C location in the last few years?
Comment by AcademicUnionStateEmployee Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:01 am
Soldiers Field (because in Chicago we add the extra “s”. Like the Jewel’s.)
Comment by Jerry Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:04 am
Chicagoans love and defend and explain their pizza to an absurd degree and will get performatively angry about New York-style slices. And each and every one of us lined up for that Sbarro.
Comment by Roadrager Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:06 am
The peoples’ stress center.
Comment by Moi Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:08 am
The people most in favor of keep it (whether “it” is the JRTC or a particular program) often aren’t actually responsible for the execution and upkeep of it, nor are they main users of it (again, both the JRTC and any given program).
Comment by Homebody Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:18 am
The aesthetics of this building will appeal to anyone who’s a fan of the salmon-and-teal color scheme of elementary school desks.
Comment by John Greenfield Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:19 am
The beauty of the Thompson Building is that after the retail stores and food court were completed the brain trust from the State of Illinois finally realized that the building lacked sufficient office space for the state employees and the Old State of Illinois Building (now renamed for Michael Bilandic) across the street had to remain open to house many agencies and departments.
Comment by Failure to Plan Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:25 am
Postmodern building, postmodern politics, postmodern government.
Comment by Dysfunction Junction Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:27 am
Land purchases/donations to IDNR. Lots of excitement over the acquisition, then no money or attention for developing the property into something the public can enjoy. The upfront cost is made using capital funds; then more capital funds are needed for improvements (which may or may not happen, and even then probably with less funds than needed) then an operational budget (again, likely less funds than needed).
Comment by Pot calling kettle Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:29 am
Well … it was intended to be the second Governor’s Office. Some Governors thought it was the first.
Kinda like the two State Fairs …
Comment by RNUG Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:29 am
The smartest move ever made concerning JRTC was the staff that moved back to the Old State of IL building.
Many folks with most of Jahn’s work that its best day was when the first rendering was revealed
We always enjoyed seeing the guys who ran the passenger elevators in OSIB still hanging in the JRTC. Nice folks. Curious how they filled their days
Comment by Annonin' Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:40 am
Unnecessarily large, hard to navigate, and hollow on the inside.
Comment by Boone's is Back Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:40 am
Named after a former Illinois governor, the Thompson Center is a metaphor for voters’ remorse with some former Illinois governors.
Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:40 am
==for voters’ remorse with some former Illinois governors.==
Especially The Four Who Shall Not Be Named who served from Jan. 11, 1999-Jan. 14, 2019.
Comment by AcademicUnionStateEmployee Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:44 am
So, so many economic development programs over the years, for this area or that, for this special purpose or that. All well-intentioned, many worthy. But absent appropriations/staff, implementation is practically impossible.
Comment by Dan Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:45 am
Lore has it that the granite walkway at the JRTC was originally a smooth surface and needed to be deglazed because of the number of slip and falls - Evelyn Sanguinetti was born too late.
Comment by We’ll See Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 11:56 am
All hat, no cattle
Comment by Walker Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 12:24 pm
At least the State was able to use JRTC for decades. The City/CTA built a never used super station under Block 37. The cost with interest was estimated several years ago at $400 million.
Per other post today, the only thing worse is how the City continues to pay out for police misconduct. Its worse because they keep repeating same errors and there are people harmed rather than just being a one time hole in the ground.
Comment by City Guy Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 12:28 pm
Try being pretty much the only “agency” still working in there. Concourse closed. Escalators turned off. Only entrance is Lasalle street doors. When something breaks, it’s doesn’t get fixed. Only businesses w an outside door were allowed to stay. I’ve been there since 89 and it’s depressing to be in there now.
Comment by PMS Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 12:34 pm
For most of a decade, I gave blood and plasma at the Thompson Center — and in exchange for my precious bodily fluids, I received some juice, some Oreos and the promise that they would do something good with my sacrifice.
Feels like there’s a metaphor for *something* in there.
– MrJM
Comment by MisterJayEm Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 12:36 pm
It reminds me of the Community College where I worked before I retired. The administration would roll out new initiatives every year with much hoopla, then underfund them and drop them for the new initiatives which they introduced with much hoopla, then underfund them and drop them so the cycle continued.
Comment by G'Kar Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 12:38 pm
Does Panda Express still have a JRTC location? They could place a “Blago Ate Here” plaque there. He sure loved, in many ways, his Panda Express.
Comment by AcademicUnionStateEmployee Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 12:39 pm
The tunnel between the JRTC and City Hall isn’t straight and juts right because they screwed up the connection between the two when they were digging through. Always kind of liked that.
Comment by P. Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 12:43 pm
==They could place a “Blago Ate Here” plaque there.==
Better and more accurately yet, the plaque could say “Blago Ate Here and Gave Illinois the Indigestion and the Runs” instead.
Comment by AcademicUnionStateEmployee Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 1:07 pm
Circle of Strife
Comment by PublicServant Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 1:27 pm
As you walk in and look up, you can’t help but get googly-eyed. Or at least you will in the near future.
Comment by Suburbanon Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 3:30 pm
Jahn may have asked for insulated glass (opinions vary on that) but I’m pretty sure he signed off on the giant ice cube cooling system that was ultimately replaced by an actual air conditioning system.
Even with double insulated windows, the ice cube could never have properly cooled 17 floors.
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 4:18 pm
Acrophobia
Comment by Amalia Friday, Sep 30, 22 @ 4:26 pm