Rookery Building - Chicago, Illinois - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Rookery was finished in 1888 and is considered to be the oldest high-rise in Chicago that is still standing. In the center of the building is an open light court down to the lobby skylight. This allowed inside offices to have natural light. The Rookery represents a transition between masonry and metal construction methods. Its outer walls are supported mostly by masonry piers and the inner frame is built of steel and iron. The only metal framing found on the perimeter walls is on the first two stories along the alleys. The lobby of the building was remodeled in 1905 by Frank Lloyd Wright. He simplified the interior iron work and added planters in his well known style. In the lobby you'll find the building's famous spiral staircase, frequently used in movies.

The following facts are from the building database site, emporis.com:

• The architects Burnham & Root moved their offices here for a while upon its completion, and Frank Lloyd Wright also set up an office here at one time.
• Architect John Root devised the "grillage foundation" - iron rails and structural beams in a crisscross pattern and encased in concrete - to support the building's immense weight without heavy foundation stones.
• Before the Rookery name had stuck to this project, its developers proposed a long list of possible names, mostly of American Indian derivation.
• Like the Fisher Building the Rookery incorporates in its facade animal forms derived from the building's name - in this case pairs of rooks by the entrance archway.
• Projected string courses around the facade divide the building into five distinct horizontal layers.
• Since the interior frame is built of steel and iron, the facade facing the light court has far more extensive window area than the more fortresslike street facades.
• The light court was very influential in the design of office buildings in Chicago, including its use of glazed white brick for added brightness.
• Since the perimeter walls are so much heavier than the interior frame, their foundations were built higher to account for greater settling.
• Above the LaSalle Street and Adams Street entrances there are wide balconies at the 8th floor.
• The exterior ornamentation draws from several styles, including Romanesque, Moorish, Islamic, and Venetian.
• In the Frank Norris novel The Pit, financial speculator Curtis Jadwin's has his office in the Rookery.
• The renovation architects were recognized with an Honor Award for Design from the American Institute of Architects in 1993.

Street address: 209 S. LaSalle St. Chicago, IL USA 60601 County / Borough / Parish: Cook Year listed: 1970 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1875-1899 Historic function: Commerce/Trade Current function: Commerce/Trade Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2007 To: 12/31/2007 Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Privately owned?: Not Listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/22/2009 adgorn visited it 08/02/2007 Hikenutty visited it

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