Kluczynski Federal Building
Encyclopedia
The Kluczynski Federal Building is a modernist skyscraper
in the downtown Chicago Loop
located at 230 South Dearborn Street. The 45-story structure was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
and completed in 1974 as the last portion of the new Federal Center. It is 562 feet (171.3 m) tall and stands on the site previously occupied by the Chicago Federal Building
by the architect Henry Ives Cobb
. It was named in honor of U.S. Congressman
John C. Kluczynski
, who represented Illinois's 5th congressional district
from 1951 to 1975 after his death that year. This is one of three buildings by van der Rohe in the Federal Center Plaza complex: the others are the US Post Office (Loop Station) and the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse
.
The Kluczynski Building is constructed of a steel frame and contains 1200000 sq ft (111,483.6 m²) of space. The exterior is sheathed in bronze-tinted glass set into bright aluminum frames. Beneath the windows are steel spandrel panels painted flat black and windows are separated horizontally by steel mullions of projecting steel I-beams also painted black. The two-story lobby is recessed allowing for a colonnade or pilotis to encircle the building at street level. The interior walls and floors of the lobby are covered in granite which entends to the plaza. The lobby contains several commemorative tablets which were removed from the previous building.
The entire complex is based on a 28 ft (8.5 m) grid pattern so that seams of the granite pavers in the plaza extend into the building lobbies and up the sides to create unity among the three structures. The Center resembles Mies' earlier Toronto-Dominion Centre
and was expanded in 1991 with the addition of the 28-story Metcalfe Federal Building to the south across Jackson Boulevard.
Alexander Calder
's sculpture "Flamingo
", a 53 feet (16.2 m) red steel sculpture, was unveiled on the plaza October 24, 1974. The sculpture was conserved and restored in 1998 The plaza is also the site of a weekly farmers' market during the spring and summer seasons, open to the community.
Federal agencies in the building the Air Force Recruiting Service, the Department of State Passport Agency, Department of Labor, Internal Revenue Service, Office of Personnel Management, Consumer Product Safety Commission, General Services Administration and offices for both the U.S. senators from Illinois, Richard "Dick" Durbin and Mark Kirk
.
Following his election as president on November 4, 2008, Barack Obama
set up transitional offices in the building, prompting heightened security measures in the surrounding area.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
in the downtown Chicago Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
located at 230 South Dearborn Street. The 45-story structure was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a German architect. He is commonly referred to and addressed as Mies, his surname....
and completed in 1974 as the last portion of the new Federal Center. It is 562 feet (171.3 m) tall and stands on the site previously occupied by the Chicago Federal Building
Chicago Federal Building
The Chicago Federal Building in Chicago, Illinois was constructed between 1898 and 1905 for the purpose of housing the midwest's federal courts, main post office, and other government bureaus. It stood in The Loop neighborhood on a block bounded by Dearborn, Adams and Clark Streets and Jackson...
by the architect Henry Ives Cobb
Henry Ives Cobb
Henry Ives Cobb , born in Brookline, Massachusetts to Albert Adams and Mary Russell Candler Cobb, was a Chicago-based architect in the last decades of the 19th century, known for his designs in the Romanesque and Victorian Gothic styles...
. It was named in honor of U.S. Congressman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
John C. Kluczynski
John C. Kluczynski
John Carl Kluczynski was a U.S. Representative from Illinois, representing the 5th district.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kluczynski attended public and parochial schools, and during the First World War served overseas as a corporal with the Eighth Field Artillery in 1918 and 1919.He worked in the...
, who represented Illinois's 5th congressional district
Illinois's 5th congressional district
The 5th Congressional District of Illinois was created as part of the 28th United States Congress, which first met on March 4, 1843; it was initially represented by Stephen A. Douglas, whose Kansas-Nebraska Act prompted the creation of the Republican Party...
from 1951 to 1975 after his death that year. This is one of three buildings by van der Rohe in the Federal Center Plaza complex: the others are the US Post Office (Loop Station) and the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse
Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse
The Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse, commonly referred to as the Dirksen Federal Building, is a skyscraper in downtown Chicago, Illinois, at 219 South Dearborn Street. It was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and completed in 1964. The building is 384 feet tall, with 30...
.
The Kluczynski Building is constructed of a steel frame and contains 1200000 sq ft (111,483.6 m²) of space. The exterior is sheathed in bronze-tinted glass set into bright aluminum frames. Beneath the windows are steel spandrel panels painted flat black and windows are separated horizontally by steel mullions of projecting steel I-beams also painted black. The two-story lobby is recessed allowing for a colonnade or pilotis to encircle the building at street level. The interior walls and floors of the lobby are covered in granite which entends to the plaza. The lobby contains several commemorative tablets which were removed from the previous building.
Toronto-Dominion Centre
The Toronto-Dominion Centre, or Centre, is a cluster of buildings in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of six towers and a pavilion covered in bronze-tinted glass and black painted steel. It serves as the global headquarters of the Toronto-Dominion Bank, as well as providing office and...
and was expanded in 1991 with the addition of the 28-story Metcalfe Federal Building to the south across Jackson Boulevard.
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...
's sculpture "Flamingo
Flamingo (sculpture)
Flamingo, created by noted American artist Alexander Calder, is a 53 foot tall stabile located in the Federal Plaza in front of the Kluczynski Federal Building in Chicago, Illinois, United States...
", a 53 feet (16.2 m) red steel sculpture, was unveiled on the plaza October 24, 1974. The sculpture was conserved and restored in 1998 The plaza is also the site of a weekly farmers' market during the spring and summer seasons, open to the community.
Federal agencies in the building the Air Force Recruiting Service, the Department of State Passport Agency, Department of Labor, Internal Revenue Service, Office of Personnel Management, Consumer Product Safety Commission, General Services Administration and offices for both the U.S. senators from Illinois, Richard "Dick" Durbin and Mark Kirk
Mark Kirk
Mark Steven Kirk is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Kirk was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Illinois's 10th congressional district....
.
Following his election as president on November 4, 2008, Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
set up transitional offices in the building, prompting heightened security measures in the surrounding area.