The person in charge of all the construction around the Capitol Complex is saying out loud what many state workers are praying for.

“We know that, soon, the Stratton Building (pictured) is going to come down,” Andrea Aggertt told aldermen, “but I can’t put a date to it until I receive the funding.

“Obviously, a new building has got to go up before we can remove 1,200 people from the Stratton. Ideally, we hope to build a new legislative office building where all the gravel lots are to the north of Monroe Street. At that point, parking will be shifted, probably more underground where the Stratton is currently.”

At present crews are digging a new underground garage north of the Stratton Building. The Capitol’s north wing is also under extensive construction, largely for historic, ADA, life safety, and HVAC reasons, pushing the Senate into the Howlett Building until the end of 2024.

Aggertt says in her 3 1/2 years as director of the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, many people have asked about the Illinois State Armory, slated for an overhaul that will result in, among other things, a visitors center there.