Dearborn Center

Dearborn Center is the second Chicago skyscraper by RBTA after 77 West Wacker. The structure consists of two parts: a low-rise section on State Street and a square high-rise tower to the west on South Dearborn. Built on the former site of Montgomery Wards’ flagship department store, part of that building’s foundation was kept and used to support the new tower.

The program consists of an office complex formed by two glass volumes of 35-storey (175-meters high) and 11-storeys respectively.

The building is designed like a classical column with a heavy base, a projecting cornice at the top and curved walls on each side. Its gleaming stainless steel and glass surfaces reflect the vitality of Chicago’s business center in sync with the demands of the global marketplace.

The unique open plan design of the building allows great layout flexibility for individual tenants. The steel grid structure is a perfect base for this design, and becomes nearly the only permanent element of the building, along with the vertical circulation core.

This was the first building in Chicago to use a raised-floor pressurized plenum system, allowing for air to be pumped in through the floors for individuals to control their temperature using floor diffusers.

The basement levels were constructed to allow for the stop of the subway lines.

The showpiece of the office lobby is a limited-edition cast of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, one of the world’s most famous sculptures.

The project was awarded “Best New Building” by the Friends of Downtown Association. In 2010, the building earned the Energy Star label, and in June, 2011, it received the Silver LEED certification for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB).