Emanuel Announces $12 Million City Hall Renovation

By Chuck Sudo in News on Dec 6, 2012 9:20PM

Photo credit: Mike Innocenzi

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office announced a renovation of City Hall Wednesday that will cost a lot of money upfront in the hopes the city will recoup that expense—and then some—within three years.

Emanuel estimated the total cost of the $12 project would be recouped within three years of its completion, with the city saving $4 million a year consistently after that. Those numbers are based on the $4.4 million per year the city currently spends to lease office space at 33 N. LaSalle for Law Department, Finance Department, Housing and Economic Development Department, and CCTV. The lease on that space ends Dec. 31, 2013 and the renovation project will bring those departments back to City Hall. The following department shifts and consolidations are planned.

• The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events will move from the eighth floor of City Hall to the Cultural Center, consolidating DCASE in one location.
• The Department of Water Management’s Sewer permitting function will move from the eighth floor of City Hall to the ninth floor, joining it with the City’s other permitting functions already housed on that floor.
• The Department of Finance will be consolidated from several locations and numerous floors to the seventh floor of City Hall, helping to increase operational efficiency. A portion of the Department of Finance will move from 33 N. LaSalle to leased space in the DePaul Center joining it with the other City departments currently housed at that location.
• The Department of Human Resources will move from the 11th floor of City Hall to the eighth floor, which the City says is better sized for its number of employees.
• The Department of Procurement Services, Landmarks division of the Department of Housing and Economic Development and Department of Streets and Sanitation will move to the 11th floor, in a similar spacing move. Moving Landmarks to the 11th floor will also be more convenient to the public.

Additional moves include a portion of Law relocating from 33 N. LaSalle to the fourth floor of City Hall and a portion of the City Clerk relocating from the Lower Level of City Hall to the first floor of City Hall, helping to consolidate the City Clerk’s operations on the first floor.

Department of Fleet and Facilities Management Commissioner David Reynolds said, “When the work is complete not only will we save the money currently being spent to lease 33 N. LaSalle, we’ll also have made some long needed improvements to City Hall and used the space more effectively.” The work will also be done for certification with the U.S. Green building Council’s LEED green building rating system.

City Hall was built at a cost of $5 million—$121,951,219.51 in today's dollars.