The Biography of Chicago’s Marina City
Residents help down-on-its-luck neighbor
October 8, 1992
If there was anyone remotely optimistic about the situation at Marina City in the fall of 1992, it was the condo owners. Marina Towers Condominium Association had spent $1.7 million over the past three years repairing concrete and repainting balconies and vertical surfaces. They were planning to spend $50,000 on the lobby and replant foliage around the building the next spring, even though technically these were responsibilities of the commercial property.
In a September 29 editorial about Marina City, the Chicago Tribune used the word “blight.” By the October meeting in Judge Foreman’s courtroom, the animosity toward Resolution Trust Corporation – which had given up on Marina City because preparing it for sale would cost too much – had not eased. Visibly upset, Foreman told an attorney for RTC, “I’m totally disgusted and ashamed that an agency of the U.S. government would treat this building like this.”
ADA compliance argument used to wrangle funds for ramp repair State Representative Ellis Levin (D-Chicago), who appeared on behalf of the condominium association, said after the meeting that RTC’s attempt to abandon responsibility for Marina City was “the most arrogant and outrageous maneuver I’ve ever seen.”
A wheelchair-bound resident was reluctant to use his motorized chair on the ramps, Levin claimed, because of fear they might collapse. That would be a drop of 20-30 feet to railroad tracks below. Because of this, Levin said the condition of the ramps hampered handicapped access, and so the failure of RTC to pay for repairs constituted a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. “This is the federal government at its worst,” he said. “Legally and morally, the RTC can’t walk away.” Levin said the condo association might even try to acquire the parking ramps and retail concourse below the towers. “It’s a unique situation when you don’t control your own front door.”
Condo owners had no fondness for RTC. Asked Denise Dalka, “Why is it going to federal court? The RTC has done such a miserable, stinking job so far. Here we can take care of it, not in some federal court where they don’t know what they’re doing anyway.” There were questions about whether the commercial property was still covered by liability insurance. MTCA president Flader said the insurance agent for the condo association had told him no proof of insurance for the commercial property had been received for more than a year. Before the RTC attorney informed the judge of his motion to move the case, several people had declared their intention to try to sell the commercial property to a buyer who would be willing to put money into fixing it. James M. Flanagan, the court-appointed receiver who managed the commercial property, said he believed he could find a buyer, even though bills for back taxes and a possible asbestos cleanup could total $10 million. “I could take it to market immediately as it is,” Flanagan said. “I believe there are buyers out there if we can deliver title in an all-cash deal.” Robbins, the parking garage attorney, said his clients would be willing to pay the $300,000 estimated cost of repairing the access ramps if they could get a long-term lease. But the receiver, Flanagan, was prevented from giving long-term leases because of the possible sale of the property. Judge Foreman said after the meeting he might be willing to grant a long-term lease of the parking ramps because of the uniqueness of the situation, but the RTC action to move to federal court might push him off the case. Ilene F. Goldstein, the federal bankruptcy trustee, said she would try to continue to move Marina City toward a quick sale whether the case ended up in federal court or stayed with Circuit Court Judge Foreman. But she added that removal of the case to federal court could further cloud title to the property, possibly hampering the sale. |
Last updated 12-Jul-15 |
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