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The James R. Thompson Center (JRTC) is located at 100 W. Randolph Street in the Loop, Chicago, Illinois and houses more offices of the State of Illinois than can be found in the state's capital, Springfield. The building opened in May 1985 as the State of Illinois Center. It was re-dedicated in 1993 to honor former Illinois Governor James R. Thompson. The property takes up the entire block bound by Randolph, Lake, Clark and LaSalle Streets, one of the 35 full-size city blocks within Chicago's Loop. In front of the Thompson Center is a sculpture, Monument With Standing Beast, by Jean Dubuffet. The JRTC is sometimes referred to as the State Building.
The JRTC was designed by Murphy/Helmut Jahn and called "outrageous" or "wonderful" by critics when it opened. The color of the street-level panels was compared to tomato soup. The 17-story, all-glass exterior does not reflect the building's function, and instead conveys an image of pure postmodernism; the effect is striking, especially from the Daley Center.citation needed Visitors to the JRTC's interior can see all 17 floors layered partway around the building's immense skylit atrium. The open-plan offices on each floor are supposed to carry the message of "an open government in action."citation needed
Originally, the design called for curved, insulated (double paned) glass panels, but these were found to be prohibitively expensive. Flat, insulated glass had been suggested, but were dismissed by Jahn. Single-paned (non-insulated), curved glass panels were eventually used and resulted in the need for a more expensive air conditioning system, which remains very costly to operate and is insufficient on hot days (internal temperatures have reached as high as 90 degrees Fahrenheit).1 The marble floor of the atrium initially developed unsightly water stains, which have since resolved themselves.
The Clark/Lake Chicago Transit Authority rail station, one of the busiest in the system, is housed between the JRTC and the 203 N. LaSalle building across the street. Orange, Green, Blue, Pink, Purple and Brown Line trains stop at the center.
The Illinois Artisan's shop is also housed inside the JRTC.
The Chicago Pedway connects from the building to 203 N. LaSalle, Chicago Title and Trust Company and Chicago City Hall.
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Art
The sculpture at the front entrance sets the tone for this building that houses a tremendous art collection. The collection includes nineteen specially commissioned artworks funded by the State of Illinois Art-in-Architecture Program.2 The building also has over 150 of the state's 600 works collected under the Percent for Art program. Under this program 0.5% of the money designated for construction of state-funded public buildings is used for the purchase of art. 3
Proposed closure
When he first came to office, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich proposed selling the building to assuage the state budget.4 The proposal won many critics.4 Lawmakers at first agreed to the plan,5 but later a $200 million mortgage was agreed to instead, payable over 10 years.6 The plan was declared unconstitutional by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in June 2004.7 The plan was set aside, although it had already cost the state $532,000 in legal fees.8
See also
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Monument with Standing Beast". Retrieved on 2007-06-06.
- ^ "Permanent Art Collection". Illinois Department of Central Management Services (2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-06.
- ^ a b Ramsey, Mike (2007-10-09). "Durbin cautions of gaming effects", Peoria Journal Star. Retrieved on 9 November 2008.
- ^ Patterson, John (2003-11-21). "A Thompson Center teardown? Potential buyers of office center in Chicago want to demolish the building.", Arlington Heights Daily Herald. Retrieved on 9 November 2008.
- ^ "Senate GOP leader criticizes mortgaging of Thompson Center", Chicago Sun-Times (2004-02-14). Retrieved on 9 November 2008.
- ^ "Illinois Governor Attacks Attorney General over Objection to Center Mortgage.", Chicago Tribune (2004-06-04). Retrieved on 9 November 2008.
- ^ McKinney, Dave (2004-08-27). "Thompson Center plan cost state $532,000: Blagojevich has no regrets about failed mortgage effort", Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved on 9 November 2008.
External links
- http://www.state.il.us/cms/1_jrtc/default.htm
- http://www.state.il.us/cms/jrtc/building.htm
- http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/thompson/
- New York Times Travel Guide Chicago James R. Thompson Center
- Emporis.com page
- Google Maps page
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 12 November 2008, at 16:40.
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