Inland Steel Building

Last crawled date: 2 years, 4 months ago

Commissioned by the Inland Steel Co., a prominent corporation founded in Chicago Heights in 1893 by Joseph and Phillip Block, the Inland Steel Building exemplifies modern high-rise architecture in the post WWII era after the Great Depression of the 1930s. The building was designed by architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), primarily by Bruce Graham and Walter Netsch, its construction completed in 1957. It was the first skyscraper built in Chicago's Loop Distrct following the Great Depression. Prominent features include the use of stainless steel cladding (a reflection of the corporation who commissioned the building), placement of all structural columns on the building's perimeter, and the removal consolidation of elevators and other service functions in a separate tower. The last two features allow for flexible interior floor plans, a respected goal of the age. Modeled by Crystal V. Olin. #Bruce_Graham #Chicago #Dearborn #IL #Illinois #Inland_Steel #Inland_Steel_Building #Loop #Loop_District #modern #modernism #Monroe #postWorld_War_II_era #Skidmore_Owings__Merrill #skyscraper #SOM #South_Dearborn_Street #stainless_steel_cladding #steel #Walter_Netsch #West_Monroe_Street