Richard J. Daley Center

Richard J. Daley Center
Richard J. Daley Center is Chicago's premier civic center and features a massive sculpture by Pablo Picasso. A view of the plaza at night. June 8, 2006 Richard J. Daley Center behind Block 37 construction site and signage. (Also in background left to right: Chicago City Hall, Chicago Title & Trust Center & James R. Thompson Center)

The Richard J. Daley Center, also known by its courtyard Daley Plaza and named after longtime mayor Richard J. Daley, is the premier civic center of the City of Chicago in Illinois. Situated on Randolph and Washington Streets between Dearborn and Clark Streets, the Richard J. Daley Center is considered one of Chicago's architectural highlights. The main building was designed in the international architectural style by Jacques Brownson of the firm C. F. Murphy Associates and completed in 1965. At the time it was the tallest building in Chicago, but only held this title for four years until the John Hancock Center was completed. Originally known as the Chicago Civic Center, the building was renamed for Mayor Daley on December 27, 1976, seven days after his death.^[1] The 648-foot (198 m), thirty-one story building features Cor-Ten, a self-weathering steel. Cor-Ten was designed to rust, actually strengthening the structure and giving the building its distinctive red and brown color. The Daley Center has 30 floors, and is the tallest building in the world with fewer than 40 stories (a typical 648-foot (198 m) building would have 50-60 stories).

Building features

The Richard J. Daley Center houses more than 120 court and hearing rooms as well as the Cook County Law Library, offices of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, and certain court-related divisions of the Sheriff's Department. The building also houses office space for both the city and Cook County, of which the City of Chicago is its seat of government. The windows are cor-ten steel and bronze/white tinted.

Daley Plaza

Chief of Staff of the United States Army Gen. George W. Casey, Jr. and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley recite the Pledge of Allegiance during May 24, 2008 Memorial Day wreath laying ceremony at Daley Plaza.

Daley Plaza is the courtyard adjacent to the building, occupying the southern half of the block occupied by the building.

The water in the fountain was dyed red in honor the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup run in 2010.

The plaza is dominated by an untitled Cor-ten steel 50-foot (15 m) sculpture by Pablo Picasso (usually called "The Picasso"). Completed in 1967, it was a gift to the City of Chicago from the artist. Though controversial for its abstract form, it quickly became a Chicago landmark. The plaza also features an in-ground fountain and an eternal flame memorial to the dead from World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

The plaza serves as a location for many civic functions including weekly farmers' markets in the summer, regular ethnic festivals, and the meeting place for Chicago's Critical Mass ride.

The plaza was used extensively in the climactic scenes of the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. The interior of the building, as well as the plaza, the Picasso, and the neighboring James R. Thompson Center are also featured in the 1993 film The Fugitive. While filming the movie The Dark Knight, instead of using the Chicago Board of Trade Building as the location for the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises as in Batman Begins, film director Christopher Nolan used the Richard J. Daley Center.

Farhad Khoiee-Abbasi, a public protester, is a frequent fixture at the northwest corner of the plaza, near City Hall. Khoiee-Abbasi has been photographed here many times, with his well-dressed appearance, his odd signs, and his general refusal to speak or acknowledge those around him making him a minor celebrity.^[2]^[3]

Adjacent buildings

Adjacent to the Richard J. Daley Plaza is the landmark Chicago City Hall. Declared a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it houses offices for the Mayor of Chicago, aldermen of Chicago's various wards and chambers for the Chicago City Council. Directly south of the Daley Center is the Cook County Administration Building which is full of office space for County employees. Block 37 containing 108 North State Street is to the east.

Position in skyline

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References

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External links

Preceded by Chicago Board of Trade Building	Tallest building in Chicago 1965—1969 648 feet (198 m)	Succeeded by John Hancock Center

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v t e Chicago Landmark skyscrapers
National Historic Landmark, National Register of Historic Places, Chicago Landmark	Auditorium Building Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building Chicago Board of Trade Building Fisher Building Manhattan Building Marquette Building Marshall Field and Company Building Monadnock Building Old Colony Building Reliance Building Rookery Building
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See also	Washington Block
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v t e Chicago Landmark municipal buildings
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Chicago Landmark	63rd Street Bathing Pavilion Chicago City Hall Daley Center Drake Fountain Indian Boundary Park Fieldhouse
Apartments Culture Education Historic districts Houses Memorials and monuments Municipal Places of worship Skyscrapers Transportation

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Tallest towers	Aon Center Franklin Center John Hancock Center Trump International Hotel and Tower Two Prudential Plaza Willis Tower
Selected towers with 20 or more floors	35 East Wacker 55 East Erie Street 77 West Wacker Drive 111 South Wacker Drive 155 North Wacker 181 West Madison Street 311 South Wacker Drive 330 North Wabash 333 North Michigan 333 Wacker Drive 340 on the Park 401 East Ontario 860–880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments 900 North Michigan 1700 East 56th Street ABN AMRO Plaza Allerton Hotel Aqua Bilandic Building Blackstone Hotel Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower Boeing International Headquarters Carbide & Carbon Building The Chandler Chase Tower Chicago Board of Trade Building Chicago Place Chicago Temple Building Chicago Title and Trust Center Citigroup Center City Hall Square Building Civic Opera House Coast at Lakeshore East CNA Center Crain Communications Building Dirksen Federal Building Field Building Fisher Building FOUR40 Four Seasons Hotel Chicago Harbor Point Hilton Chicago Home Insurance Building Hyatt Center James R. Thompson Center Joffrey Tower Kluczynski Federal Building Lake Point Tower The Lancaster LaSalle-Wacker Building Legacy Tower Leo Burnett Building London Guarantee Building Marina City Masonic Temple Mather Tower Metropolitan Tower Montauk Building NBC Tower Olympia Centre One Magnificent Mile One Museum Park One North LaSalle One North Wacker One Prudential Plaza Outer Drive East Palmer House Hotel Palmolive Building Park Tower The Parkshore Peoples Gas Building Pittsfield Building Plaza 440 Powhatan Apartments The Regatta Regents Park Richard J. Daley Center River East Center Roanoke Building and Tower The Shoreham Skybridge The Buckingham The Fordham The Heritage at Millennium Park The Grant The Pinnacle Three First National Plaza The Tides Time-Life Building Tribune Tower Virgin Hotels Chicago Waldorf Astoria Chicago Water Tower Place Wrigley Building
Chicago Landmark skyscrapers with 12 or more floors	Auditorium Building Brooks Building Bryn Mawr Apartment Hotel Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building Chicago Building Gage Group Buildings Heyworth Building Hilliard Towers Apartments Inland Steel Building Manhattan Building Marquette Building Marshall Field and Company Building Monadnock Building Mundelein College Skyscraper Building New York Life Insurance Building Old Colony Building Reliance Building Rookery Building
See also	Architecture Art Deco Chicago City Hall Chicago School Tallest buildings Washington Block

Richard J. Daley Center

Contents

Building features

Daley Plaza

Adjacent buildings

Position in skyline

See also

References

External links

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