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player ready...The roars of passing CTA and Metra trains, cold temperatures and hail did not significantly alter the city of Evanston’s plans to dedicate its new Lorraine H. Morton City Hall at 909 Davis Street Monday morning.
The city hall, in the downtown area and named in honor of Evanston’s longest-serving mayor, is the new home of the city’s municipal offices, at least for the next 15 years.
In February, Evanston City Council members voted 8-1 to permanently leave the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center at 2100 Ridge Avenue, which had been Evanston’s city hall for many years.
Per Cook County records, 909 Davis is owned by a New Jersey asset management group called Red River 909 Davis LLC. The group bought the building for $27.7 million in late 2022. If the city decides to renew its 15 year lease by five years, an option the city council is mulling, the city estimates that for 20 years, it would pay $63 million to occupy the building. That cost is broken down to $28.8 million in rent, which is more than what the building sold for three years ago, and $34.2 million in operating and maintenance costs.
The first floor of the city’s new offices contains the customer service center, which includes the Adjudication, Permitting, and Collector’s Offices.
City Council Chambers, the City Clerk’s Office, the Mayor’s Office, State Rep. Robyn Gabel’s Office, the Tax Assessor’s Office and the Health and Human Services Department are on the second floor.
The third floor will have the City Manager’s Office, Administrative Services, Community Development, Parks & Recreation, Public Works, Economic Development and the Law Department.
The new city hall space is wedged between the CTA Purple Line Davis “L” train station and the Metra UP-N Davis Street station. The building faces a horseshoe shaped driveway, and has six handicapped parking spaces.
Evanston has seven other CTA Purple Line train stations and two other Metra UP-N stops. Supporters of the downtown move say the new offices are more accessible for people who take public transit.Free parking, with validation, is available for city hall visitors at city-owned parking garages. The closest two are Maple Street Parking Garage at 1800 Maple Street and at the Sherman Plaza Self Park at 1649 Benson Avenue. Both are within a five minute walk to 909 Davis. Drivers will need to bring their time-stamped parking garage ticket to city staff to get their free parking validated.
Both parking garages have staff, security and elevators, according to the city’s Communications and Engagement Manager Cynthia Vargas.
City Council members will have underground parking at 909 Davis, Vargas said, indicating it is a secure garage.
When asked whether pregnant women, parents of babies and people who use walkers and canes (who might not have handicapped placards) could park closer to the building, Vargas said, “Underground parking is the building’s private parking with very limited space. We do not have unlimited access to parking spots.”
“Moving to 909 Davis Street will benefit our staff, our downtown, our service delivery and our taxpayers,” said Mayor Daniel Biss at the dedication ceremony.
“I’m really glad that we’re bringing that name to this building, bringing that legacy to this building,” Biss said.
When Council members in February and March discussed where to locate city offices, some said it would be a better use of resources to leave the Morton Civic Center at 2100 Ridge rather than spend funds to maintain the building. City officials have said the Ridge Avenue building needs more than $60 million in repairs to make it ADA compliant and energy efficient and fix its HVAC, electric and water issues.