|
You are using Emporis.com; all data marked with a * plus additional tools are accessible through Emporis Research offered by Emporis.
Do you have an update for the content on this page?
[E-mail the Emporis Data Team]
[Enter and manage information and photos]
Identification Name Thompson Center Alternative name James R. Thompson Center, State of Illinois Building Emporis Building ID 117313
Location
Address as text * ZIP * Neighborhood District City State Country
Map and Surrounding Area
Technical Data Height (tip) * Height (architectural) 93.88 m Height (roof) * Floors (above ground) 17 Construction start * Construction end * Elevators * Escalators *
Structure in General Construction type high-rise building Current status  existing [completed] Structural material steel Facade material glass Facade system curtain wall Architectural style postmodern
Usages Main usages  commercial office Side usages  museum  metro station  restaurant  shop(s)
Features and Amenities
Atrium is present One of the city's famous buildings Panoramic elevators are present Pedway access is available Plaza is available to the public
Facts
The office floors wrap around a giant cylindrical atrium which extends through the roof to a sloping skylight. The atrium is separated from the plaza by a curved glass wall. |
The building houses state government offices, a post office, a rapid transit station serving five train lines, shops, sculptures, a free public art gallery, and a blood donation center. |
At the time of its construction the design was a sharp break from convention, with a broad sloping curve of glass sweeping from one corner of the block to the other. The shape has often been compared to a spaceship. |
The building's bold design by Helmut Jahn was commissioned by four-term Illinois governor James R. Thompson, after whom the building is named. |
Conceived as a futuristic reinterpretation of the state capitol form, the building's skylight and central atrium stand in for the traditional dome and rotunda. |
|
Glass elevators with vaulted tops shuttle passengers up and down a pair of elevator bays that project into the atrium. |
The basement level holds an auditorium and a large food court which opens onto the atrium. |
Just inside the main entrance a waterfall pours down to the lower level between a pair of escalators. |
The plaza features the Jean Dubuffet sculpture Monument With Standing Beast, a 4-piece amorphic fiberglass construction painted white and crossed by a web of black lines. |
The Dubuffet sculpture's companion, Monument With Phantom, is located in the plaza of the Enterprise Plaza in Houston. |
A two-story open gallery encircles the entire building at sidewalk level, with round columns screened by flat granite panels. |
The columns and granite screens which encircle the base continue around the perimeter of the plaza, decreasing in height the farther they get from the building. |
Blue glass, salmon-pink panels, red structural elements, and pink granite give the interior and exterior an eye-catching color scheme. |
Companies involved in this building
Emporis Premium Companies:
KONE Inc. (elevator supplier)
Other companies:
Murphy/Jahn, Inc. Architects, Lester B. Knight Associates, State of Illinois, Illinois Department of Central Management Services, Contech-MSI Co., Commercial Light Company, Global Fire Protection Company, Bennett & Brosseau Roofing, Inc., Tractel Ltd. North Central, Walsh Construction, Vertical Access, Maron Electric Company, Builders Architectural Products, Inc., Builders Architectural Products, Inc. |
|
