12th Ward Alderwoman Julia Ramirez has requested that the City of Chicago and its Department of Planning and Development designate the storied Central Manufacturing District along West Pershing Road — including its clock tower — as an official historic landmark district.

As recently reported here in the McKinley Park News , Preservation Chicago recently highlighted the clock tower as one of our city's most endangered buildings , with complicated split ownership between the city and real estate conglomerate Klairmont Enterprises Inc. and its Imperial Realty Company .

Ramirez pitches the landmark district designation in a May 15, 2025, letter to Ciere Boatright, commissioner of Chicago's Department of Planning and Development, which reads:

Dear Commissioner Boatright:

I write to express my full support for the city of Chicago Department of Planning and Development to pursue a historic landmark district designation for the Central Manufacturing District (CMD) - Pershing Road and clock tower. I support the recommendations of Preservation Chicago and the local advocacy organizations such as the McKinley Park Development Council who believe the preservation of these historical buildings, and potential for adaptive reuse, are important assets to not just the McKinley Park neighborhood but for the city of Chicago. The district includes seventeen iconic industrial buildings constructed between 1917 and 1948.

The Central Manufacturing District, which was created in 1902, was one of the first planned industrial parks in the United States. The clock tower building, located at 2000 W. Pershing Road has become an iconic structure for McKinley Park representing our city's manufacturing and industrial heritage. The entire Central Manufacturing District is already on the National Register of Historic Places, which provides federal and state tax credits for historic redevelopment.

Your support in this matter is greatly appreciated. I look forward to working with you and your team on this effort. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 77-475-6783.

Sincerely,

Julia Ramirez
Alderwoman, 12th Ward