How DOGE could affect one of the oldest and largest art collections
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"Flamingo" in the Federal Plaza in front of the Kluczynski Federal Building. Photo: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Arts and culture advocates are sounding the alarm on the Trump administration's reported staff reductions at the department that oversees the country's public art and architecture, including well-known landmarks in Chicago.
Driving the news: The Washington Post reports that the Trump administration has closed at least five General Services Administration regional offices and put dozens of workers on leave from the agency's Fine Arts and Art in Architecture divisions.
Why it matters: These offices manage one of the country's oldest and largest public art collections, including more than 1,400 works in Illinois, and commission public art for federally owned buildings.
- Advocates say removing historians and preservationists puts these valuable assets at risk of being sold or demolished.
Flashback: One of the county's most notable public art works — Alexander Calder's "Flamingo" — was the first piece of art commissioned by the Art in Architecture Program in 1974.
Zoom in: The "Flamingo" stands in front of the John C. Kluczynski Federal Building, which is included on the Trump administration's list of government buildings that are potentially for sale.
State of play: Historic preservation agency Landmarks Illinois regularly works with the GSA on efforts to protect federal buildings that are architecturally and historically significant, most recently with the Century and Consumers Buildings on South State Street, which were at risk of being demolished.
- "There were a lot of voices from the preservation community here in Chicago, not just ours, calling for the adaptive reuse of those buildings instead of demolition," Landmarks Illinois advocacy manager Kendra Parzen tells Axios. "It was through ongoing consultation with GSA that they arrived at the decision that it would be better to adaptively reuse rather than go right to demolition."
Between the lines: That decision was made before the Trump administration took office. Parzen says the current status of GSA preservationists in Chicago is unclear.
What they're saying: "Our most recent information is that those efforts to adaptively reuse the Century and Consumers Buildings are still going forward. I am concerned that that may change," Parzen says.
The other side: "Out of respect for our employees, GSA is not commenting on internal personnel matters," a spokesperson told Axios in a statement.
What we're watching: If the Trump administration sells the Kluczynski Federal Building and what that could mean for the "Flamingo" artwork.