Metropolitan Tower (Chicago)

Last updated
Metropolitan Tower in 2016 Metropolitan Tower, Chicago in May 2016.jpg
Metropolitan Tower in 2016

The Metropolitan Tower is a skyscraper located at 310 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago's Historic Michigan Boulevard District in the Loop community area in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Developed by Metropolitan Properties of Chicago, [1] it has been renovated as a condominium complex with 242 units. [2] Residences range in size from 1,200 square feet (110 m2) to 4,000 square feet (370 m2). Penthouses feature 360 degree city views and private elevators. [3] Prices run from $300,000 for a 762 square feet (70.8 m2) one-bedroom unit to $1.365 million for a 1,932 square feet (179.5 m2) three-bedroom. [4] The Metropolitan Tower was also for a time home to a branch of Chase Bank. The space now houses a branch of CVS.

Contents

History

Designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, the Metropolitan Tower was named the Straus Building when completed in 1924. Though it was the first building in Chicago with 30 or more floors, it was never officially designated Chicago's tallest building since the Chicago Temple Building, also completed in 1924, is taller by 92 feet (28 m) but has seven fewer floors. [5] The Straus Building and the Chicago Temple Building were the first to take advantage of the 1923 zoning ordinance; before then, no building in Chicago could be taller than 260 feet (79 m). [6]

The Metropolitan Tower was at one time called the Continental National Insurance Company Building (later Continental Center I [7] ). From 1980 to 2004 it was called the Britannica Building when that company was its tenant. [8]

Characteristics, past and present

This 30 story building, standing at 475 feet (145 m) in height, fronts Chicago's Michigan Avenue and Grant Park. The 40-foot (12 m) pyramid at the top of the building (which Schulze & Harrington, authors of Chicago's Famous Buildings, compare with the Tomb of Mausolus at Halicarnassus), with its new zinc-coated stainless steel sheathing, is peaked by a 20-foot (6 m) glass "beehive" ornament containing a blue glass box filled with six 1000-watt lightbulbs which emits a deep blue light, a prominent feature of Chicago's nighttime skyline. [2] The beehive is supported by four limestone bisons. [9] Because of this ornament, the building is sometimes referred to as the "Beehive Building." [2]

Just beneath the beehive are four carillon bells ranging in weight from 1,500 to 7,000 pounds, unused for many years until restored in 1979 for the Chicago visit of Pope John Paul II. [2] At one time, the bells chimed the well-known Cambridge Quarters on the quarter-hours. The base has been altered from its original design: rectangular window openings replaced giant arches on Michigan Avenue and Jackson Boulevard. At one time, the thirtieth floor was the Straus Tower Observatory, which was open to the public for viewing the city. [2]

The original main entrance was a pair of elaborately carved bronze doors set in a marble portal flanked by bas-reliefs and used to be in the center of the east side, through the largest of the archways. [8]

In 2007, the building was converted into 234 condominium units. In 2009, the Metropolitan Tower won a "Best Adaptive Reuse" award from the Friends of Downtown, a planning and urban design organization for downtown Chicago. [10] Amenities include: 24 hour lobby and maintenance staff; on-site management staff; deeded indoor parking; Amazon package deliver lockers; contractors storage area for remodeling projects; two hotel type guest suites; workout facilities with sauna, steam, and showers; children's playroom; extra storage opportunities and imagination rooms; and a two story event/party room with adjacent access to a rooftop garden deck including an outdoor grill and dining area for entertaining guests, with views of Millennium Park and Navy Pier Fireworks.

Symbolism

The original owner of the Metropolitan Tower was S. W. Straus and Company, a dealer of investment bonds and one of the leading financers of major real estate in Chicago during the late 19th century and early 20th century. [8] The tower's crown has many symbols for characteristics the company wanted to portray. The pyramid symbolized longevity and permanence and the beehive stood for industry and thrift. When first installed, the beehive also contained four directional beacons, a metaphor for the company's global reach. The pyramid is supported by the four bisons, a traditional symbol for the American West. Straus was hoping to use these symbols to instill trust in their customers, to reassure them that their investments would be handled actively and carefully by an institution that could be trusted over the long term. Ironically, the firm failed during the Great Depression and closed fewer than ten years after lighting the beacon. [11]

Area

The Metropolitan Tower is located a block from the entrance to the Art Institute and is within two blocks of stations for all downtown CTA train lines. The Symphony Center, Millennium Park, Harold Washington Library, and the Lake Michigan shore are within a half mile. The south end of the Magnificent Mile shopping district is less than a mile away. Dozens of fine restaurants and other eateries are in the neighborhood, and Grant Park is across the street. [12]

Position in Chicago's skyline

Metropolitan Tower appears in front of Chase Tower (Chicago) in the diagram below.

Chicago skyline labelled.jpg311 South Wacker111 South WackerChase Tower77 West WackerIBM PlazaAon CenterBlue Cross and Blue Shield TowerPark TowerHarbor Point

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Seasons Hotel Miami</span> Mixed-use skyscraper in Miami, Florida

The Four Seasons Hotel and Tower, also known as the Four Seasons Hotel Miami, is a 70-story, 781 feet (238 m) skyscraper in Miami, Florida. Located in downtown Miami's Brickell Financial District, it is the third tallest building in Miami as well as in Florida. The tower contains a Four Seasons Hotel property, office space and several residential condominium units on the upper floors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renaissance Center</span> Skyscraper group in Detroit, Michigan, US

The Renaissance Center, commonly known as the RenCen, is a complex of seven connected skyscrapers in downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. The Renaissance Center complex is on the Detroit International Riverfront and is owned and used by General Motors as its world headquarters. The central tower has been the tallest building in Michigan since its completion in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PPG Place</span> Building complex in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

PPG Place is a complex in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, consisting of six buildings within three city blocks and five and a half acres. PPG Place was designed by architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeshore East</span> Human settlement in Chicago, Illinois

Lakeshore East is a master-planned mixed use urban development being built by the Magellan Development Group in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located in the northeastern part of the Loop, which, along with Illinois Center, is called the New Eastside. The development is bordered by Wacker Drive to the north, Columbus Drive to the west, Lake Shore Drive to the east, and East Randolph Street to the south. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill created the master plan for the area. The development, which had been scheduled for completion in 2011, was set for completion in 2013 by 2008. Development continued with revised plans for more buildings in 2018 and continuing construction of the Vista Tower in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OneEleven</span> High-rise luxury rental apartment tower located in downtown Chicago, Illinois

OneEleven is a luxury rental apartment tower located in downtown Chicago, Illinois. The building is located between LaSalle Street and Clark Street, adjacent to River North and directly on the Chicago River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Heritage at Millennium Park</span> Mixed use skyscraper located in Chicago

The Heritage at Millennium Park, located at 130 N. Garland Court in Chicago, Illinois is a mixed-use tower. Completed in 2005, with a height of 631 feet (192 m) and 57 floors, the building was designed by the architectural firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz. It is the 36th-tallest building in Chicago. Like many newer buildings, the Heritage preserves and makes use of the façades of four existing buildings in its base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Block 37</span> Development in Chicago

108 North State Street, also known as Block 37, is a development located in the Loop community area of downtown Chicago, Illinois. It is located on the square block bounded clockwise from the North by West Randolph Street, North State Street, West Washington Street and North Dearborn Street that is known as "Block 37", which was its designated number as one of the original 58 blocks of the city. Above-ground redevelopment is complete, but work stopped on an underground station, when the station was only partially complete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1001 Woodward</span> Skyscraper in Detroit, Michigan, United States

1001 Woodward is a 25-floor office building in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It replaced the Majestic Building, a 14-story high rise on the same site. The building is located just south of the neighboring David Stott Building, at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Michigan Avenue overlooking Campus Martius Park. Constructed from 1963 to 1965, the building is designed in the International Style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Magnificent Mile</span> Mixed-use high-rise tower in Chicago

One Magnificent Mile is a mixed-use high-rise tower completed in 1983 at the northern end of Michigan Avenue on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago containing upscale retailers on the ground floor, followed by office space above that and luxury condominium apartments on top. The 57-storey building was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and at the time of construction was the tenth-tallest building in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joffrey Tower</span> Skyscraper in Chicago, United States

The Joffrey Tower is a high-rise commercial real estate development on the northeast corner of North State Street and East Randolph Street in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States that is the permanent home of the Joffrey Ballet. It is located immediately south of the Chicago Theatre and directly across the street from Macy's largest Chicago department store on State Street, within the Loop Retail Historic District. Its address had once been the site of the Chicago Masonic Temple. The placement of the Joffrey Ballet in this building appears to have involved political dealings with the Mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley and his brother, William M. Daley, a co-chairman of the Joffrey board of trustees. The building was scheduled for completion in December 2007, but was not finished until September 12, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cityscape of Lexington, Kentucky</span> Architecture and urbanism in Lexington, Kentucky (USA)

The urban development patterns of Lexington, Kentucky, confined within an urban growth boundary protecting its famed horse farms, include greenbelts and expanses of land between it and the surrounding towns. This has been done to preserve the region's horse farms and the unique Bluegrass landscape, which bring millions of dollars to the city through the horse industry and tourism. Urban growth is also tightly restricted in the adjacent counties, with the exception of Jessamine County, with development only allowed inside existing city limits. In order to prevent rural subdivisions and large homes on expansive lots from consuming the Bluegrass landscape, Fayette and all surrounding counties have minimum lot size requirements, which range from 10 acres (40,000 m2) in Jessamine to fifty in Fayette.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">801 Grand</span> Skyscraper in Des Moines, Iowa, US

801 Grand High Rise Building is a 45-story skyscraper in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, operated and managed by JLL Americas and owned by Principal Financial Group. The building was constructed in 1989 and is the tallest building in Iowa. It is part of a larger downtown campus run by Principal Financial Group and features a skywalk and an eight-sided copper pyramid at its top.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyatt Regency Chicago</span>

The Hyatt Regency Chicago is a 365-foot-tall (111 m) Hyatt hotel on East Wacker Drive in Chicago, Illinois. The hotel operates over 2,019 guest rooms in two different towers which were constructed in 1974 and 1980. The towers are connected by both an above-ground skyway and an underground concourse. This underground concourse is considered to be part of the Chicago Pedway. The hotel has a multi-level conference center which includes a 25,000-square-foot (2,300 m2) ballroom, and 85,000 square feet (7,900 m2) of meeting space. The conference center has been home to such events as the 40th, 49th, 58th, 70th and 80th World Science Fiction Conventions in 1982, 1991, 2000, 2012, and 2022 respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">181 Fremont</span> 803-foot mixed-use skyscraper in the South of Market District of San Francisco

181 Fremont is an 803-foot (245 m) mixed-use skyscraper in the South of Market District of San Francisco, California. The building, designed by Heller Manus Architects, is located adjacent to the Transbay Transit Center and 199 Fremont Street developments. 181 Fremont is owned and operated by Jay Paul Company, which was the sole developer of the project. The entire office portion of the building was leased to Facebook to house its San Francisco office and Instagram division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1095 Avenue of the Americas</span> Office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

1095 Avenue of the Americas is a 630-foot-tall (190 m) skyscraper in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It was constructed from 1971 to 1973 to be the headquarters of New York Telephone Company and has 41 floors. The building also served as the headquarters of NYNEX and Bell Atlantic. Kahn & Jacobs designed the tower, which is the 98th tallest building in the city. The original facade was said to be designed to resemble the relays which were commonly found inside telephones of the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NEMA (Chicago)</span> Supertall 76-story residential skyscraper in Chicago

NEMA (Chicago) (also 1210 South Indiana and formerly 113 East Roosevelt or One Grant Park) is a 76-story residential skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois in the Central Station neighborhood, of the Near South Side. The tower, built by developer Crescent Heights, has 800 apartments and rises 896 feet (273.1 m) making it the city's tallest rental apartment building. NEMA is the tenth-tallest building in Chicago as of 2024 and the forty first-tallest building in the United States. It is the tallest all-rental residential building in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Emerald (building)</span> Skyscraper in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

The Emerald is a mixed-use 40-story skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. The tower includes 262 luxury condominiums, retail space, and amenity spaces on outdoor terraces. It began construction in July 2017 and was completed in October 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">151 North Franklin</span> Skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois

151 North Franklin is a skyscraper located at 151 North Franklin Avenue in the Chicago Loop. Completed in 2018 and standing at 568 feet tall with 35 floors at the northeast corner of West Randolph Street and North Franklin Avenue, the building is the current corporate headquarters of namesake tenant CNA Insurance, which has been headquartered in the Loop since 1900. It also hosts large office spaces for Facebook and the law firm Hinshaw & Culbertson.

References

  1. ↑ "Britannica building to go condo". Chicago Business. Crain's. 2004-06-12. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Nunn, Emily (2007-11-15). "Blue light special". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. pp. 5:1, 9. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  3. ↑ "The Metropolitan Tower". Development Details. Condodomain. 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  4. ↑ Chicago Magazine, January 2005
  5. ↑ "Chicago Temple Building". Emporis. Emporis.com. 2007. Archived from the original on December 14, 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ↑ Wolfe, Gerard R. (2004). Chicago In and Around the Loop; Walking Tours of Architecture and History (Second ed.). McGraw-Hill.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2007-01-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. 1 2 3 "Metropolitan Tower". Emporis. Emporis.com. 2007. Archived from the original on January 1, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ↑ "Metropolitan Tower". Metropolitan Tower. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  10. ↑ "Friends of Downtown". Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Metropolitan Tower" (PDF). Exploring 66 on Foot: In the Loop, Where the Road Begins. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-11-07. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  12. ↑ Google Earth


41°52′41.01″N87°37′28.65″W / 41.8780583°N 87.6246250°W / 41.8780583; -87.6246250

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.