CHICAGO | Richard J. Daley Center | 648 ft | 30 floors | 1965

[Steely Dan]

in memory of the recent passing of architect Jacques Brownson, i thought we should start a thread to celebrate his crowning achievement, and one of the most splendid modernist skyscrapers anywhere on the planet, the Richard J. Daley Center.

R.I.P. Mr. Brownson.

and thank you for gracing chicago with such a wonderful gift,



source: http://buildingdb.ctbuh.org/building...ilding_id=1780

[ardecila]

This may be the world's greatest architectural testament to the power of steel... Such a powerful design that the people on Wall Street craved one for themselves and ripped us off. Go figure. I still say ours is better - spanning an large Chicago block with only 3 bays is better than spanning a skinny New York block with 5.

[DrNest]

This building is, to me, exactly what skyscrapers are all about. It shows strength, power and style. It may look brutal to some, but to me it is sheer beauty. Many other similar buildings exist around the world, especially in North America, and that is testament to its fantastic design.

[THE BIG APPLE]

^ Even I like RJD Center more than OLP. Atleast RJD Center didn't replace something as monumental as the Singer Building.

[arkitekte]

Originally Posted by DrNest

This building is, to me, exactly what skyscrapers are all about. It shows strength, power and style. It may look brutal to some, but to me it is sheer beauty. Many other similar buildings exist around the world, especially in North America, and that is testament to its fantastic design.

Exactly what you said. Its sleek, elegant, and stand out all at the same time.

[Beta_Magellan]

Not only does it hearken back to the structures of the original skyscrapers that put our city on the map, to me the Daley Center seems like a bit like broad-shouldered man in a perfectly tailored suit. I can’t think of a better representative of the city’s attitude.

RIP Jacques Brownson.

[wrab]

One of the best mid-century towers on the planet. Rest in peace, Jacques Brownson.

[bnk]

It is nice and I appreciate it very much, but this " this is the greatest mod building ever built in the solar system and ever will" is a bit over the top"

Not everyone needs to ab agree with Steely on everything.

It is well known that the Daley center is a top notch building and respected but to see so much ass kissing in this thread is kind of funny.

[jcchii]

I love how the material has colorized, as intended

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by bnk

It is nice and I appreciate it very much, but this " this is the greatest mod building ever built in the solar system and ever will" is a bit over the top"

i think your reading comprension skills need some work. i didn't say " this is the greatest mod building ever built in the solar system and ever will". if you would actually bother to read my posts, you would see that i clearly stated it is "ONE OF the most splendid modernist skyscrapers anywhere on the planet", an assessment with which many architectural historians would agree.

Originally Posted by bnk

Not everyone needs to ab agree with Steely on everything.

when did i ever say that everyone needs to agree with me on everything? this isn't a failure of reading comprehension, now your just making shit up. why?

Originally Posted by bnk

It is well known that the Daley center is a top notch building and respected but to see so much ass kissing in this thread is kind of funny.

who's ass-kissing anything? are you even reading this thread? the daley center IS one of the most respected and admired modernist skyscrapers in the world, and i thought that with the passing of its architect, jacques brownson, starting a thread on this magnificent tower in his memory would be a good thing.

why did you choose to be an ass about it?

[Nowhereman1280]

If praising this building is kissing Steely's ass, then Steely better pull his pants down because I'll kiss his ass any day in honor of this epic building.

Daley Plaza also needs to be highlighted here, it is one of the most serene, useful, and pleasant Modernist public spaces ever built. Chicago is fortunate to have such a perfect space as its civic center.

Also it's hardly fair that Chicago gets to have both this tower and the second greatest cor-ten skyscraper around, Weese's Time-Life Building, while all other cities must settle for second rate cor-ten structures!



Let's not forget to mention the ridiculous engineering feats of the building including the huge structural bays and 20'+ average floor heights.

[plinko]

The quintessential masterpiece, and probably the pinnacle work to come directly from the Mies lineage of the Chicago School (before Goldsmith, Kahn, and Graham took it to another level entirely).

I interviewed Brownson once when I was in architecture school (1998?). He had alot of really negative things to say about the current state of the profession (he used the term 'cake decoration' several times). I wasn't aware that he had passed away. Sad. He was actually hand-picked to be the head of design for C.F. Murphy but turned it down to pursue his own practice. The job eventually went to Helmut Jahn. An interesting twist to the Chicago architecture story if that had ever happened.

I completely love this building and everything about it. Cruciform columns, simple stiffened girders (huge!), slenderness and openness of the window mullions, placement of the Picasso. A total demonstration of the principles taught at IIT until the late 1970s brought over by Mies.

With this building the 'big shoulders' lineage was passed from the Board of Trade. The fact that this building is also the seat of government for the city makes that most appropriate.

Who says modernism can't have a big idea or be exquisitely intricate in detail?

[plinko]

These are my favorite photos that I've taken the few times I've been to Chicago with a camera of this building:

[tomjjlcu]

Originally Posted by THE BIG APPLE

^ Even I like RJD Center more than OLP. Atleast RJD Center didn't replace something as monumental as the Singer Building.

This type of effective design the people on Wall Street craved one on their own and ripped us off. Go figure. I still say ours is much better - spanning an large Chicago block with only 3 bays is preferable to across a skinny New You are able to block with 5.

[Zapatan]

The floors are 20+ feet each? damn

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

Also it's hardly fair that Chicago gets to have both this tower and the second greatest cor-ten skyscraper around, Weese's Time-Life Building, while all other cities must settle for second rate cor-ten structures!

in my opinion, pittsburgh's US steel tower can easily hang with the daley center and time-life building in the "beautiful cor-ten tower" department.

Originally Posted by Zapatan

The floors are 20+ feet each? damn

yep. floor-to-floor for most of the building is ~21'. the building houses 120 courtrooms and the high floor-to-floor allows for the courtrooms to have tall enough ceilings to be appropriately scaled for the importance of a courtroom.




as for one liberty plaza in NYC, it's another very nice cor-ten tower. it clearly took some design cues from the daley center, but the effect of the lower floor heights makes it a bit too heavy on the steel. the daley center is an absolute beast of robust strength, but because its floors are so tall, those monumentally massive spandrel beams are balanced with enough glass area to steer clear off being overbearing, a direction that one liberty plaza comes dangerously close to veering off into.

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ Good point Regarding Liberty Plaza. The Time Life building attempts to address that problem (which plagues corten beasts if executed less than perfectly) by creating the "bump outs" that hold the windows and using highly reflective gold/bronze glass. It takes excellence to make a Cor-Ten building float.

I agree regarding US Steel. I love when buildings are clad in the product made by the company within. Reminds me of the Inland Steel building in that respect. Show off the top notch product by featuring it prominently in the design.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Nowhereman1280

I agree regarding US Steel. I love when buildings are clad in the product made by the company within. Reminds me of the Inland Steel building in that respect. Show off the top notch product by featuring it prominently in the design.

ironically, i remembering hearing that inland steel never actually fabricated stainless steel and that the stainless steel cladding for their headquarters building had to be purchased from a competitor, but maybe that's just architectural folklore.

but for US steel tower in pittsburgh (and one liberty plaza in NYC, which was originally named "US steel building"), the use of cor-ten was absolutely a case of the building material serving as product advertising for the firm contained within.

[Nowhereman1280]

^^^ Or in the case of Daley Center as a metaphor for the machine (political) housed within...

I've always viewed Daley Center as a testament to the Chicago Political Machine as it is the most visible monument of that system in Chicago. Hopefully Obama will build a badass presidential library here out of Cor-Ten as well! I wonder if his library will be housed on University of Chicago campus or elsewhere in the city? I assume Chicago is the only logical choice for his library considering it is his adopted hometown and where the roots of his political power grew.