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 housed the Cook County Criminal Courts for 35 years.
Waymark Code: WM6H4F
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.
Street address: 54 West Hubbard Street Chicago, IL USA 60610
County / Borough / Parish: Cook County
Year listed: 1984
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1875-1899, 1900-1924
Historic function: Government
Current function: Commerce/Trade
Privately owned?: yes
Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2009 To: 12/31/2009
Hours of operation: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.