A threatened seizure of the James R. Thompson Center has been linked to a convicted property fraudster.

A legal notice published daily from May 16 to June 5 in the Chicago Tribune said, "THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 100 W. RANDOLPH, CHICAGO . . . IS BEING SEIZED UNDER EMINENT DOMAIN BY THE FEDERAL RECEIVERSHIP BOARD UNITED CARETAKERS ASSOCIATION".

Eminent domain is a legal framework under which a government may force a private property owner to surrender their property to the government—usually because the government aims to develop the land for a public purpose.

The building at 100 W. Randolph St. is the glass-clad Thompson Center—which contains the offices of many state agencies, plus the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) stations for its Blue, Pink, Orange, and Green train lines.

Last March, the state of Illinois sold most of the 17-story Thompson Center to developer JRTC Holdings for $70 million.

According to the state's Central Management Services (CMS), the developer "will replace the building envelope and mechanical systems and make the necessary interior repairs to transform the building to a multi-tenant, mixed-use Class A office building." The developer estimates that the construction will take two years.

Some state employees will continue to work in the building during and after the renovation. Likewise, the multi-level CTA stations will continue to operate.

When asked about the threatened seizure of the Thompson Center, a CMS spokesman said via e-mail that "CMS is aware of the public notice and such deceptive practices involving real estate and is taking the necessary actions to address."

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