Springfield aldermen have rejected an effort to reconsider spending $600,000 in TIF district funds toward the demolition of two 19th-Century downtown buildings.
Historic preservationists staged a last-minute effort to spare the buildings on East Washington, saying that the structures, which date back to the 1870s, have historical value and would do more good for downtown than another surface parking lot.
But Horace Mann, which bought and restored an adjacent building, says the two structures are too damaged from years of neglect and cannot be saved. The council vote against reconsideration clears the path for Horace Mann to proceed with demolition and the replacing of those buildings with parking and green space.
