Cook County Administration Building

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The Cook County Administration Building (photographed in 2012)

The Cook County Administration Building (formerly known as the Brunswick Building) is a skyscraper located at 69 West Washington Street in Chicago, Illinois.[1][2] The building, constructed between the years 1962 and 1964, is 475 ft (144.8 m) tall, and contains 35 floors.[1] It has a concrete structure.[1] The building, engineered by Fazlur Khan of the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is notable for innovating the tube-within-a-tube structural system.[2]

Originally a corporate office building, the tower was later acquired by the Cook County government, and now holds government offices and courtrooms.[2]

Design and construction[]

The building, was constructed between the years 1962 and 1964, and utilizes a concrete structure.[1] At the time of its construction, it was Chicago's tallest concrete office building.[2] The building is designed with an exposed structure, and adheres to the modernist architecture style.[2] The building utilizes a deep foundation system.[2]

For this building, engineer Fazlur Khan of the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill adapted the tube system he had innovated with the design of The Plaza on DeWitt by creating a tube-within-a-tube, with both the building's core and its perimeter being hollow and rigid tubes that support the tower, allowing for column-free interior space.[2]

At its lower portion, the façade of the tower juts back slightly in a curve.[2]

The building is connected to the Chicago Pedway system, with the Pedway featuring retail spaces in the area where it passes beneath the tower.[2] An underground Chicago Pedway passage connects the building to the Richard J. Daley Center across the street.[2]

The building has a small plaza, featuring an untitled sculpture by Joan Miró.[2]

Fire[]

The Cook County Administration Building saw a structural fire occur on the 12th floor of the building on October 17, 2003.[3][4][5]

The fire was started in a supply room[6] by a faulty light fixture and resulted in the deaths of six people.[7][8] The City of Chicago, in addition to several other defendants, paid $100 million to the families of the six victims after litigation,[9] citing multiple failures.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d "Cook County Administration Building - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Cook County Administration Building". Emporis. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Fire".
  4. ^ "govinfo". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  5. ^ "14 Years After 69 West Washington—Fire Reforms Are Still Incomplete". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  6. ^ Institute, Fire Service. "LibGuides: Significant Illinois Fires: Cook County Administration Building Fire". guides.library.illinois.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  7. ^ Mickey Ciokajlo; Sabrina L. Miller; Robert Becker; John Chase; Grace Aduroja; Manya Brachear. "6 die in Loop blaze". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  8. ^ Davey, Monica (2003-10-19). "Smoke and Panic on Stairs In Chicago High-Rise Fire". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  9. ^ Michael Higgins; Dan Mihalopoulos. "Fire lawsuits settled for $100 million". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-03-07.

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