The lobby has a small bust of architect Mies van der Rohe by sculptor Marino Marini.

Second-tallest building designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the most famous minimalist architect of modern times.

The building is located at a turn in the Chicago River, and can be seen straight ahead when entering the river from Lake Michigan.

A public plaza surrounds the tower on all sides, with a large stairway descending north to the lower street level.

For the time it was built the IBM Building housed an extraordinarily large number of computers, which required an advanced level of environmental engineering. The walls were sealed by a plastic thermal barrier, and a reverse refrigeration system was used to reclaim heat given off by machines and people.

The original plan called for a U-shaped building, but the rectangular design was made practical when the city agreed to change the outline of Wabash Avenue on the lot's edge.

Unlike many later curtain-wall skyscrapers with uniform facades, IBM's facade is articulated by differentiating glass, spandrel and mullion - window frames are raised and spandrel panels recessed.