Polished Steel
[Inland Steel Building (1958) Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, architects /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
Okay, so right-off-the-bat we have to tell you that this is one of our favorite buildings in
Chicago. Can't see it? Modernism not your thing? Well keep on reading, and after looking at the pics maybe you'll change your mind. Maybe not.
[Inland Steel Building, 30 W. Monroe Street, Chicago /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
In a city spilling over with architectural firsts, the Inland Steel Building doesn't disappoint.
The first high-rise ever constructed using steel pilings . Pilings are these long tubes, usually made of poured concrete, that are sunk deep down into the ground and provide the first basic structural elements that hold the building together and keep it from sinking. Inland was the largest building ever erected with open span interiors. See the shiny stainless steel tower in the middle of the left hand picture? All the mechanical systems, elevators, washrooms and such were put there and placed outside of the office areas of the building. Take a look at the 7 vertical stainless steel ribs that run along the exterior facade, they are matched by another set on the opposite side of the building. The 14 columns are joined together by steel beams that stretch across the building from one column to the other. This means that the interior office floor area of 55 feet by 177 feet is completely clear and open, free of any obstructions, which is a great option for commercial tenants because they can create a floor plan that meets their individual needs. And since the Inland Steel company planned on only using about one third of the space, it was looking for paying tenants to make up the difference and help defray costs.
[Inland Steel Building, ground floor lobby /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
It had the lightest glass curtain wall ever built. It put the young architectural firm of
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill on the map, and got SOM on their way to becoming the largest architectural firm in the world. It was the first building constructed in downtown Chicago in over 20 years following the ravages of the Great Depression and the Second World War. And the first with an underground parking garage!
[Inland Steel Building reflections /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
Why do we love it? It's not really because it was the first of this, that, or the other, it's just
that lead SOM designer Bruce Graham created one of the purest and most elegantly beautiful expressions of post-war, high-rise architecture - which just happens to be wrapped around a series of groundbreaking firsts. There's no muss, no fuss with Inland. Graham's building is a giant leap forward from 19th century skyscraper architecture into modern 20th century design. It is a shining example of Louis Sullivan's oft quoted dictum, "Form Follows Function," and Mies van der Rohe's, "Less Is More." And it even reflects nicely on its neighbors.
Posted by designslinger at 7/13/2010 2:06 AM 
Categories: Architecture, History, Preservation
Tags: Inland Steel Building Skidmore Owings and Merrill skyscrapers
Categories: Architecture, History, Preservation
Tags: Inland Steel Building Skidmore Owings and Merrill skyscrapers
Inland Steel Building is one of my top five favorites. It is so beautiful and in a late summer afternoon plays with the sun light like no other! Thanks for the treat guys.
You're welcome!
Fantastic photos! You've very effectively captured Ira's description: "in a late summer afternoon [it]plays with the sun light like no other." The design of the Inland Steel Building is so timeless, that it is difficult to believe that it was built over 50 years ago.
It is amazing that the building is over 50-years-old. If only we all looked as timeless at that age!
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You're welcome - and - a thank to you as well!