"Selling the Thompson Center will help to build a more efficient state government," said Gov. Pritzker. "This is long overdue, and I look forward to moving forward to benefit our taxpayers."

Opened in 1985, the JRTC is a 17-story marble, granite, glass, and steel structure, encompassing approximately 1.2 million sq. ft. of enclosed area. The building's steel frame is topped by a cylindrical skylight, 75 feet above the roof level. The sky-lit rotunda is 160 feet in diameter and is surrounded by 16 floors of open office space. The main building enclosure system is glazed with single-pane, non-thermally broken aluminum frames. The system is energy inefficient and does not meet current standards for performance or thermal comfort.

Because of prolonged deferred maintenance and delayed capital projects, the construction cost in 2016 was estimated to be more than $300 million to bring the building into a good state of repair. The facility is also larger than necessary and costly to operate with annual operating expenses exceeding $17 million. By divesting of the oversized, outdated and expensive facility, the state can relocate its core services to appropriate replacement spaces. This strategic relocation effort will reduce operating costs and increase productivity, the state notes.

"Issuing this RFP moves the state a step closer to selling the property," CMS Acting Director Janel Forde said. "The property is inefficient and expensive to operate. The State can achieve significant cost savings by relocating to more optimized space."

During the administration of Gov. Bruce Rauner, he advocated for the sale of the 17-story building to help balance the state's finances, according to the State Journal-Register.