Skender Completes Iconic Elgin Tower Rehabilitation Project

Skender Construction recently completed the 60,000-square-foot, 15-story rehabilitation of The Elgin Tower Building, a historic centerpiece in downtown Elgin, Illinois.

Condemned in 2014 due to a fire, the former bank turned office building underwent a complete gut rehab transformation into 44 market-rate apartment units with modern finishes. Demolition included the removal of old coal fired boilers and radiators to update the building with energy efficient water heaters and individually controlled fancoil units within each apartment. Skender and the design team worked with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency to protect and preserve the building’s historic elements, which involved retaining original terrazzo in the corridors, refinishing or recreating wooden landmark unit entries, rebuilding elevators to operate within the existing shafts, replacing exterior windows and coordinating local street closures to facilitate the project’s temporary loading dock. Exterior façade tuckpointing, stone replacement and abatement activities were completed by outside contractors, but coordinated through Skender to maintain the project schedule.

Skender, serving as general contractor, collaborated with St. Louis-based architect Webster Design, owner Capstone Development Group and the City of Elgin to complete the monumental project.