Foreclosure Of 'Skokie Sculpture' Goes To Court

SKOKIE, IL — The future of a construction skeleton that has sat unfinished for years on Oakton Street, coined the "Skokie Sculpture" by some residents, is going to court in the coming days, according to the Skokie Village Board.

According to Corporation Counsel Michael Lorge, there are multiple lawsuits against E&M Skokie LLC by subcontractors. The lender also filed a foreclosure action against the developer because of E&M's default on its construction loan, and a response is required within 28 days.

Though the village is not exposed in the matter, it is monitoring the situation closely, according to Lorge.

As the building skeleton remains, concerns have been raised about the safety of the structure and the impact that weather has on it. The village confirmed it does conduct annual inspections of the structure, the most recent being in October 2024, and said it's currently structurally sound but is dependent on the weather going forward.

Skokie attempted to engage in the suit to expedite the court's handling of the matter due to possible weather impacts, but was denied due to the lack of an arbitration clause in the original loan documents. A new status call was set for June 2, where the lender could request a receiver who would be able to selling the asset to recover funds.

"We have been as aggressive as we can, still recognizing and being cautious not to overstep what we have successfully done, which is to keep us out of the line of fire in this litigation," Lorge said. "We can only hope that the parties in their separate arbitration ... try to get in the room and hammer it out."

Planning for the building started in 2017, according to Village Manager John Lockerby, as a means to compliment the Science and Tech Park. The construction hit a snag, as many projects did nationwide, during the COVID-19 pandemic when prices for many resources increased.

The building has been frozen in construction since early 2023 after only a few months of work.

The village allocated $13.5 million in Tax Increment Financing funds to E&M in December 2020, of which $10 million has been spent, according to the board.

A resident at the meeting expressed their frustration with the overall timeline of the project and stressed the need for better oversight for future instances like these.

Trustee Gail Schechter echoed these concerns in a statement on Facebook. Schechter said she independently looked into E&M and found that the Skokie project was only managing partner Mark Meyer's second time being a hotel investor.

"In my opinion, thorough Village vetting of the capacity of a developer is essential. I will do my part to make sure that the Village does this," Schechter said.