Demolition of General Services Administration building downtown begins

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Demolition of a downtown Chicago building got underway Monday.

The General Services Administration building is on State Street near Adams Street and has been deemed unsafe.

It's flanked by two other federal properties that the government wants to tear down, the Century Building and Consumers buildings. But both buildings received preliminary landmark status.

"There's seven criteria, and these meet more than two criteria for there importance to Chicago's State Street, its history," Ward Miller, executive director for preservation Chicago, said. "But most importantly, these are two examples of the early Chicago skyscrapers that really were part of the golden age of Chicago's architecture."

The government says the Century and Consumers Buildings pose a security risk because the Dirksen Federal Building is nearby.

The agency deciding the fate of those buildings says it's still considering how to move forward.