Governor JB Pritzker is revealing details of a planned $122 million renovation of the vacant Illinois State Armory building in Springfield.
The armory was built in 1937, but has sat empty and deteriorating for years, with extensive water and mold damage and asbestos throughout the building. Pritzker says the work will be done in two phases, first to stabilize and repair the building, followed by conversion to usable office space. When completed in 2025, the upgraded building will include 194,000 square feet of office and public space, including an atrium with natural light in part of the space originally occupied by an auditorium that hosted sporting events and rock concerts at the armory.
Pritzker says the renovation will bring the building up to modern energy efficiency standards, while taking care to preserve the historic nature of the armory.
