Official name: Lawyers Building Built: 1928-1929 Designed by: Graven and Mayger Renovated: 1997 Type: Skyscraper Stories: 26 Location: 100 North LaSalle, Chicago, United States
F or a building constructed in the Art Deco age, it could very easily be mistaken for a mid 1990's knockoff if the color was a little different. One Hundred North LaSalle is one of those buildings that "just gets it done" in the Loop. It doesn't try to draw attention to itself. It just sits there on the corner with its stately dignity serving its purpose. That's not to say that there aren't any notable architectural elements. Certainly its vertical channels and central pediment are worth a look. But this building is ahead of its time. Not Art Deco, and beyond Art Moderne. It looks forward to the 1940's, and the then-new reality of utilitarian office buildings. It's a style often overlooked as most construction drew to a halt because of the Second World War, and because styles changed so quickly following the war and the advent of glass and steel skyscrapers. Maybe this building should be regarded as what "could have been." If there hadn't been a war; if there hadn't been a materials shortage; if there hadn't been a global shift in priorities, then maybe America would be populated with more of these sorts of buildings and they would be recognized as a brand of their own.
This building has 153,000 square feet of rentable space.
1985 - The building is renovated, uncovering a black granite arch on the LaSalle Street side. This was covered up by a previous renovation in the 1950's.
New York, United States
