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The Aon Center completed in 1973, formerly known as the Standard Oil Building (Amoco Building), is a modern skyscraper in Chicago. Its design was a partnership by the firms of Edward Durell Stone, Perkins and Will and once completed it was the tallest building in Chicago and 4th in the world. Constructed of a tubular steel frame and V shaped columns to resist earthquakes and aesthetically surfaced with Italian Carrara marble this structure was resurfaced in 1982 with white granite at an estimate cost of $80 million due to a marble slab toppling on the adjacent Prudential Center Annex Building.
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The Sears Tower, a skyscraper and office building designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill was completed in 1974 as Chicago’s and the Worlds’ tallest building with 110 floors reaching a height of 1,450 ft(442m) until the erection of the Petronas Towers (Kuala LumPar, Malaysia) in 1996. A beautiful observatory at the top floor allows visitors to see the beautiful skyline from all angles.
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The Smurfit Stone Building is a 41 story skyscraper reaching 582 ft (177m) and completed in 1984. Formerly known as the Associates Center, the Stone container building is famously known as the Diamond Building. Kiddy corner to the highly visited Millennium Park, this building is slightly disjointed near the top of the two diamond points giving it an illusion of a slit down the middle. |
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Chase Tower is a 60 story skyscraper, 850 ft tall (259m) and is the 9th tallest building in Chicago. The building when first constructed was home to First National Bank of Chicago and was later renamed to The First National Plaza (due to a merger). Completed in 1969 by C.F. Murphy Associates and Perkins and Will, this building is home to a beautiful fountain and a ceramic wall mural called the Four Seasons which was created by Marc Chagall and is noted for its spacious sunken plaza in the heart of Chicago’s Loop where you can always find a crowd of visitors. |
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One IBM Plaza, served as the Midwest Region’s headquarters of the IBM Data Processing Division in the 1970’s. Completed in 1971, this building won the Federal Energy Commission’s first Midwest Excellence Award for Energy Conservation. The building was sold twice, most recently in 1995 to Prime Group LLC. |
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AT&T Corporate Center, a postmodern architectural skyscraper has 60 floors and ranks among the 4th tallest skyscraper in Chicago and 9th in the USA at a height of 1,021 ft (307m). Designed by Adrian D. Smith of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of a gothic detail, red and beige-rose granite with a clad steel frame it was completed in 1989 as the regional headquarters for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. |
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311 South Wacker is a picture perfect post modern 961 ft (293m) tall and 65 story high skyscraper. Completed in 1990 of reinforced concrete it ranked as the 6th tallest building in Chicago and 14th in the USA until the erection of the Central Plaza, Hong Kong. Most noted for it’s illuminating crown like cylinder at the top of the building this crown is highly visible during the day and on clear and starry nights. The crown is highly visible during the day, and on clear and starry nights. The crown is supposed to represent the engagement ring given by the architecture to his wife. |
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Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) is a 605 ft (184m) tall building designed by Holabird & Root and was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1977. The CBOT is adorned with a most distinguished Goddess, Ceres, by the artist John Storrs. Ceres was chosen because of the commodity driven market that occurs at the CBOT. This building is now on the National registry as a National Historic Landmark. |
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One Prudential Plaza was completed in 1955 by the architectural firm Naess & Murphy and stands 44 stories tall. Formerly known as the Prudential Building, it was built as the headquarters for the Mid-America Company. It is connected to the Two Prudential Plaza building. |
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Two Prudential Plaza, designed by Loebl, Schlossman & Hacki was completed in 1990 at 995 ft (303m) tall. During it’s completion it was the 2nd tallest reinforced concrete building in the world. With a most distinctive pyramid shaped peak rotated 45° and an 80 foot spire this skyscraper is presently the 5th tallest building in Chicago and 10th in the USA and sits as a guardian over the One Prudential Plaza building. |
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The John Hancock, a 100 story, 1,127 ft (344m) tall retail and residential skyscraper was completed in 1969 and designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. It was named for John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company. Aligned along the Magnificent mile, it is home to the famous 95th floor restaurant- The Signature Room as well as the American Girl store. The observatory deck is located on the 94th floor and showcases the beautiful city of Chicago from all directions. |
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Lake Point Tower was completed in 1968 and was designed by Schipporeit & Heinrich, students of Mies van der Rohe. The 900 unit residences stand 70 stories high at 645 ft tall (197m) with a spectacular view of Lake Michigan. It is the only building east of Lake Shore Drive and is across from attractions found at Navy Pier. It has been home to affluent residents like Sammy Sosa, Alice Cooper, Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell, Ozzie Guillen and Mickey Rooney. |
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Harbor Point Condominiums is the sister lookalike building to Lake Point Tower. This is a 742 unit residence and 22 unit commercial building that was completed in 1972. It is part of the New Millennium living area because it has access to both Millennium and Grant Parks and resides on the Monroe Harbor, home to the Columbia and Chicago Yacht Clubs. |
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DuSable Harbor will become DuSable Park and is scheduled for completion in 2009. Dedicated to the first Non-Native American settler in Chicago, Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable(Haitian French descent), the B.F.Ferguson Fund of the Art Institute of Chicago will commission a statute to honor him. He married a Potawatomi-Native American woman and is a note worthy figure because of his contributions to early Chicago and with trade along the historic Mississippi river. |
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CNA building, the “red building” is an insurance company residing along the elevated “L” tracks in the south loop and serves as the dividing line of the south and northern part of the loop. It was the 1st tallest building in the south loop until the newly erected Central Station Residences of Millennium Park (2008) located at the south end of Grant Park along Roosevelt Road. |
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Soldier Field, completed in 1920 and dedicated (1925) to the service men and women who perished in war was designed in the Greek architectural tradition that fit in nicely with the Museum Campus architecture. The original field had a seating capacity of 74,000 spectators. The façade of the old columns “colonnades” is what remains of the old field on both the east and west sides of the newly constructed field which was completed in September 2003. Currently, Soldier Field has a seating capacity of 61,500 spectators. Several memorial dedications can be found in and around the grounds of the field. Soldier Field is home to the National Football League (NFL) Chicago Bears, 1985 World Champions of Super Bowl XX under the direction of “Da Coach”- Mike Ditka, Buddy Ryan-Defensive Coach and Ed Hughes- Offensive Coach (Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots). |
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The Museum Campus is home to the lakefronts historical structures which include, The Field Museum, the John G. Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium. Exhibiting some of the finest collections in the world, these 3 institutions attract more visitors every year than any other site in Chicago, including Navy Pier.
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The Field Museum of Natural History was incorporated in 1893 and was part of the World’s Columbian Exposition. Home to Ancient and Native American artifacts illustrating art, archaeology, science and history, it maintains a collection of dinosaurs including the best preserved and famous T-Rex “SUE”, 2 prized African elephants and the infamous Lions of Tsavo. The architectural nature of the building is fashioned to the likeness of the Ancient Greeks that were the pioneers of many societies as history has taught us. It should also be noted that Marshall Field was its benefactor. |
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The John G. Shedd Aquarium was the first inland aquarium opening to the public in 1930 and gained international exposure during the Chicago World’s fair of 1933. It was completed in 1929 and from that time has continuously developed and introduced new attractions; the popular circular tank exhibiting the Caribbean Coral Reef (1971) formerly the Tropical Pool which showcases a diver interacting with the fish while talking to visitors, the Oceanarium (1991) split into two levels and home to several beluga whales including sea otters rescued from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, dolphins and the Wild Reef (2003) split into two levels containing a Philippine Coral Reef and a close encounter Shark exhibit with 12ft high curved windows. Over 25,000 fish and over 2,100 species of fish, marine mammals, birds, snakes, amphibians, and insects can be found in this beautiful facility. |
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The Adler Planetarium was founded by Max Adler and made into a museum in 1930. It is home to a plethora of Astronomy and planetary involvement including an outdoor telescopic observatory deck which is still operable. The historic Scientific Instrument Collection which contains over 200 instruments and models from the 12th-20th centuries is the largest of its kind. Educational exhibits also include replicas of the Apollo’s- the first landing on the moon as well as short movies about the solar system and trips made into outer space and the galaxies. |
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