Aon Center (Chicago)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aon Center | |
|---|---|
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| General information | |
| Cost | $120,000,000 (USD) |
| Location | 200 E. Randolph St. Chicago, Illinois United States |
| Constructed | 1970-1972 |
| Opening | 1973 |
| Use | Office |
| Height | |
| Roof | 1,136 ft (346 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 83 aboveground 5 belowground |
| Floor area | 3,600,000 sq. ft. 334,448 m² |
| Elevators | 50, made by Otis Elevator Company |
| Companies involved | |
| Architect | Edward Durell Stone |
| Contractor | Turner Construction |
| Developer | Standard Oil of Indiana |
The Aon Center (200 East Randolph Street, formerly Amoco Building)[1] is a modern skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois, United States, designed by architect firms Edward Durell Stone and The Perkins and Will partnership, and completed in 1973 as the Standard Oil Building.[2] With 83 floors and a height of 1,136 feet (346 m), it is the third tallest building in Chicago, surpassed in height by the Willis Tower and the Trump International Hotel and Tower. The building is managed by Jones Lang LaSalle.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Standard Oil Building was constructed as the new headquarters of the Standard Oil Company of Indiana, which had previously been housed at South Michigan Avenue and East 9th Street. When it was completed in 1973 it was the tallest building in Chicago and the fourth-tallest in the world, earning it the nickname "Big Stan".[3] (A year later, the Sears Tower took the title as Chicago's and world's tallest.) The building employs a tubular steel-framed structural system with V-shaped perimeter columns to resist earthquakes, reduce sway, minimize column bending, and maximize column-free space. This construction method was also used for the World Trade Center towers in New York City.
When completed, it was the world's tallest marble-clad building, being sheathed entirely with 43,000 slabs of Italian Carrara marble. The marble used was thinner than previously attempted in cladding a building; this quickly proved to be a mistake. In 1974, just a year after completion, one of the marble slabs detached from the façade and penetrated the roof of the nearby Prudential Center Annex. Further inspection found numerous cracks & bowing in the marble cladding of the building. To alleviate the problem, stainless steel straps were added to hold the marble in place.[3] Later, from 1990 to 1992, the entire building was refaced with Mount Airy white granite at an estimated cost of over $80 million.[2][4] (Amoco was reticent to divulge the actual amount, but it was well over half the original price of the building, without adjustment for inflation.) The discarded marble was crushed and used as landscaping decoration at Amoco's refinery in Whiting, Indiana.[2] The building's facade now somewhat resembles that of the World Trade Center due to the upward flow of the columns.
The Standard Oil Building was renamed the Amoco Building when the company changed names in 1985. In 1998, Amoco sold the building to The Blackstone Group for an undisclosed amount, estimated to be between $430 and $440 million.[2][3] It was renamed as the Aon Center on December 30, 1999, although the Aon Corporation would not become the building's primary tenant until September 2001.[5] In May 2003, Wells Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc. acquired the building for between $465 and $475 million.[2][6] (On August 10, 2007, Wells Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc. changed its name to Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc.)[7]
[edit] Exterior lighting
In the early 1980s, the lights in selected offices in the building were turned on to form a huge cross during the Christmas season.[citation needed] In recent years, the top floors of the building have been lit at night with colors to reflect a particular season or holiday. Orange is used for Thanksgiving, green or red for Christmas, and pink during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The lighting commonly matches the nighttime lighting on the antenna of Willis Tower, the John Hancock Center and the upper floors of the Merchandise Mart.
[edit] Plaza
In the plaza, there is a Sounding Sculpture by Harry Bertoia.
[edit] Tenants
- Aon Corporation maintains its headquarters in the Aon Center.[8]
- Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Suite 2200[9]
- Agency.com[10]
- British Petroleum, (BP) successor to Amoco and Standard Oil of Ohio
- Jones Lang LaSalle[11]
- Daniel Edelman Inc.
- Marketing Support Inc.[12]
- ThoughtWorks[13]
- R.H. Donnelley[14]
- Strata Decision Technology[15]
- The Mid-America Club[16]
- Veolia[17]
- Microsoft[18][19]
[edit] Position in Chicago's skyline
[edit] See also
- List of buildings
- List of skyscrapers
- List of tallest buildings and structures in the world
- List of tallest buildings in Chicago
- List of tallest buildings in the United States
- List of tallest freestanding structures in the world
[edit] Notes
- ^ Roeder, David (2003-02-21). "New owner expected for Aon Center". Chicago Sun-Times. Newsbank. http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CSTB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F968E80C195CF74&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=AA98CDC331574F0ABEAFF732B33DC0B2. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
- ^ a b c d e Emporis, Aon Center, Chicago, http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=aoncenter-chicago-il-usa, retrieved 2008-04-23
- ^ a b c Glass Steel and Stone, Aon Center, http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/BuildingDetail/625.php, retrieved 2007-09-25
- ^ McMillan, Greg (2007-06-12), "Two buildings, two cities, one problem", The Globe and Mail (Toronto), http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070612.PRMARBLE12/TPStory/Business, retrieved 2007-09-25
- ^ Business Wire, ADVISORY/Chicago Landmark Office Tower Officially Renamed Aon Center During Unveiling Ceremony, http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ADVISORY%2FChicago+Landmark+Office+Tower+Officially+Renamed+Aon+Center...-a058415200, retrieved 2007-09-25
- ^ Miller Cicero, LLC (2003-10-07), Trophy Building Sale Sets New Record, http://www.millercicero.com/press/files-view.php?ViewNode=1066154585cVxrI, retrieved 2007-09-25
- ^ Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc., Wells REIT Changes Name to Piedmont Office Realty Trust, http://www.piedmontreit.com/cms/content/view/139/63, retrieved 2007-08-10
- ^ "Contact Us." AON Corporation. Retrieved on January 31, 2009.
- ^ "Chicago." SkyTeam. Retrieved on January 31, 2009.
- ^ "Agency.com Chicago Maps and Directions". Agency.com. http://www.agency.com/facts/office_maps_directions.asp?location=chicago. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ "Jones Lang LaSalle Recommits to Aon Center for Its Headquarters". HighBeam. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-132574883.html. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ "Marketing Support Renews at AON Center". Costar Group. https://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=AB550B562085EC6CE241AB97B185A295. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ "ThoughtWorks Expands, Relocates to Aon Center". Costar Group. http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=E6F3A23A886C213D059F6766063B08C7. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ "Dontech Renews". Globest. http://www.globest.com/news/20020917/chicago/70087-1.html. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ "Strata Decision Technology Chicago Office Relocates." Retrieved on February 24, 2009.
- ^ "The Mid-America Club". Eventective. http://www.eventective.com/USA/Illinois/Chicago/19613/The-Mid-America-Club.html. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ "Veolia". World Business Chicago. http://www.worldbusinesschicago.com/Home/SuccessStories/Veolia/tabid/286/Default.aspx. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ "Microsoft Plans to Occupy 75,000 SF at Aon Center". Costar Group. http://www.costar.com/News/Article.aspx?id=BABEB08DC4034FC2A4DE56981A09F99E. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ^ {http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2009/08/the-aon-center-dossier-.html Chicago Tribune]
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aon Center |
| Preceded by John Hancock Center |
Tallest building in Chicago 1972—1973 346 m |
Succeeded by Sears Tower |
| Preceded by John Hancock Center |
Tallest building in the United States outside of New York City 1972—1973 346 m |
Succeeded by Sears Tower |
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Coordinates: 41°53′07″N 87°37′17″W / 41.88528°N 87.62139°W
