Everything about Standard Oil Building totally explained
The
Aon Center (200 East
Randolph Street) is a modern skyscraper in
Chicago designed by architect firms
Edward Durell Stone and The Perkins and Will partnership, and completed in 1973 as the
Standard Oil Building. With 83 floors and a height of 1,136 feet (346 m), it's the second tallest building in
Chicago, surpassed in height only by the
Sears Tower. It is the fourth tallest in the
United States and the 16th-tallest in the world. The building is managed by
Jones Lang LaSalle.
History
The Standard Oil Building was constructed as the new headquarters of the
Standard Oil Company of Indiana, which had previously been housed at South Michigan Avenue and East 9th Street. When it was completed in 1973 it was the tallest building in Chicago and the fourth-tallest in the world, earning it the nickname "Big Stan". (A year later, the
Sears Tower took the title as Chicago's tallest.) The building employs a tubular steel-framed structural system with V-shaped perimeter columns to resist
earthquakes, reduce sway, minimize column bending, and maximize column-free space.
When completed, it was the world's tallest
marble-clad building, being sheathed entirely with 43,000 slabs of Italian
Carrara marble. This quickly proved to be an unsuitable cladding for the harsh Chicago winters. In 1974, just a year after completion, one of the marble slabs detached from the façade and penetrated the roof of the nearby Prudential Center Annex. To alleviate the problem, stainless steel straps were added to hold the marble in place. (Amoco was reticent to divulge the actual amount, but it was well over half the original price of the building, without adjustment for inflation.) The discarded marble was crushed and used as landscaping decoration at Amoco's refinery in
Whiting, Indiana. In May 2003, Wells Real Estate Investment Trust, Inc. acquired the building for between $465 and $475 million.
Exterior lighting
In the early 1980s, the lights in selected offices in the building were turned on to form a huge cross during the
Christmas season. In recent years, the top floors of the building have been lit at night with colors to reflect a particular season or holiday. Orange is used for
Thanksgiving, green or red for Christmas, and pink during
Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The lighting commonly matches the nighttime lighting on the
antenna of the Sears Tower and the upper floors of the
Merchandise Mart.
Plaza
In the plaza, there's a Sounding Sculpture by
Harry Bertoia.
Tenants
Aon is the building’s largest tenant, subleasing from
BP. It leases a rentable 515,083 sq. ft. (47,852 m²), or 20.6% of the building.
Position in Chicago's skyline
Further Information
Get more info on 'Standard Oil Building'.
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