Cook County Criminal Court Building - Chicago, IL
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 41° 53.412 W 087° 37.806
16T E 447726 N 4637777
A Richardsonian Romanesque-style building on the Near North Side of Chicago. The structure, now an office building called Courthouse Place, housed the Cook County Criminal Courts for 35 years.
Waymark Code: WM6H4H
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 06/04/2009
Views: 5
This site was the site of many legendary trials, including the Leopold and Loeb murder case and the Black Sox Scandal. Newspaperman Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur based much of their 1928 play, The Front Page, on the daily events in this structure. Other authors of the Chicago’s 1920s literary renaissance that used the fourth floor pressroom include Carl Sandburg, Sherwood Anderson, and Vincent Starrett. The site also housed the jail and gallows for the Haymarket Martyrs.
In 1929, the Criminal Courts left the 54 West Hubbard Street location, and the building was then occupied by the Chicago Board of Health and other city agencies. After poor alterations and years of neglect, the building was acquired by Friedman Properties, Ltd in 1985. The property was restored and refurbished as “Courthouse Place,” an office development later expanded to include the restoration of other surrounding historic buildings.
See my related National Register waymark WM6H4F.
Year Built: 1893
Current Use of Building: Office space know as Courthouse Place
Level of Courts: County
Architect: Otto H. Matz
Dates this building was used to house judicial proceedings: 1893 -1929
Physical Address:
54 West Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL 60610
Related Website: [Web Link]
Hours: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
At least one original photograph should be added to the gallery. And please describe your impressions and visit to the courthouse.