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311 South Wacker Drive

Office skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois

Field	Value
name	311 South Wacker Drive
image	311 South Wacker Drive~2.jpg
image_size	230px
location	311 S. Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois
highest_region	Wacker Drive
highest_prev	35 East Wacker Drive
highest_next	77 West Wacker Drive
highest_start	1990
highest_end	1992
roof	293 m
status	Complete
floor_count	65
start_date	1988
completion_date	1990
building_type	Office
architectural	292.9 m
top_floor	256.8 m
elevator_count	34
floor_area	1400000 ft2
developer	Gerald Kostelny/Lincoln Property Company
architect	Rick del Monte
Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
HKS
main_contractor	J.A. Jones Construction Construction Manager was Harbour Contractors, inc.
references

Chicago, Illinois Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates HKS

311 South Wacker Drive is a post-modern 65-story skyscraper located in Chicago, Illinois, and completed in 1990. At 961 feet (293 m) tall, it is the ninth-tallest building in Chicago and the 36th tallest in the United States. It was once the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world. 311 South Wacker was also the tallest building in the world known only by its street address, until it was surpassed in height by New York's 432 Park Avenue in 2015.

The lower level of the winter garden was designed for a possible connection via underground passageway to Chicago Union Station. The building also contains three levels of underground parking. The building contains both retail and commercial tenants.

Lobby

The lobby is a two-level (one below ground) 85 ft-tall glass-ceilinged "winter garden." It used to have palm trees, still has a fountain, and is supported by a steel structure influenced by the Chicago "L" tracks and bridges. It was envisioned as a commuter link or "pedestrian station" serving as a connection from the nearby Union Station through a disused streetcar tunnel under the South Branch of the Chicago River. Raymond Kaskey's bronze sculpture "Gem of the Lakes" looks over the garden from the Wacker entrance. The fountain shell form is taken from the city seal with a heroic figure representing Chicago as the "city of broad shoulders" wearing a cape symbolic of the great engineering feat which reversed the flow of Chicago River.

Crown

CNA's building illuminated to reflect Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 311 South Wacker Drive can be seen in the left, with the top portion brightly illuminated.

The top of the building is a 105 ft-tall translucent cylinder, surrounded by four other smaller cylinders, which was inspired by the massing of the Tribune Tower. This makes it among the most visible Chicago skyscrapers at night, as its crown is brightly illuminated. The five cylinders on top are lit at night by 1,852 fluorescent tubes, and a lantern at the top changes colors for various holidays and special events.

Park

311 South Wacker is surrounded to the northwest by a grassy area, commonly used as a lounging and public lunch area during warm months, which is the largest area of green space in the Chicago Loop. This park is used to host local farmer markets, musical events, and various art and cultural festivals. To the southwest is a parking lot. This land was originally to be occupied by two companion towers that were never developed due to office market conditions.

Position in Chicago's skyline

Gallery

File:311 South Wacker Drive (Chicago, IL) 29Nov2007.JPG|View File:Sears Tower and 311 South Wacker.jpg|311 South Wacker Drive and Willis Tower File:Chicago Grattacieli 1.jpg|South view taken from Chicago River File:311 South Wacker Drive (Chicago, IL) from the top of the Willis Tower 29Nov2007.JPG|311 South Wacker Drive top viewed from the top floor of Willis Tower File:Chicago (5).jpg|311 South Wacker Drive as viewed from the 103rd floor of the nearby Willis Tower

References

"311 South Wacker Drive - The Skyscraper Center". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
"311 South Wacker - Property Information".
Sudo, Chuck. (November 28, 2016). "The Forgotten History Of Chicago Supertalls: Everything You Need To Know About 311 South Wacker".
emporis.com {{usurped
David Ibata, [https://www.chicagotribune.com/1986/10/21/s-wacker-skyscraper-launching/ S. Wacker Skyscraper Launching] [[chicagotribune.com]] October 21, 1986
"311 South Wacker Drive, Chicago".
"South Wacker Drive".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

office-buildings-completed-in-1990 skyscraper-office-buildings-in-chicago kohn-pedersen-fox-buildings hks,-inc.-buildings 1990-establishments-in-illinois 1990-in-chicago postmodern-architecture-in-illinois

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