330 North Wabash

330 North Wabash (formerly IBM Plaza also known as IBM Building and now renamed AMA Plaza) is a skyscraper in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States, at 330 N. Wabash Avenue, designed by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (who died in 1969 before construction began). A small bust of the architect by sculptor Marino Marini is displayed in the lobby. The 52-story building is situated on a plaza overlooking the Chicago River. At 695 feet (212 meters), 330 North Wabash is the second-tallest building by Mies van der Rohe, the tallest being the Toronto-Dominion Bank Tower at Toronto-Dominion Centre. It was his last American building.[2]

"IBM Plaza" redirects here. For the IBM Plaza in Kansas City, see 2345 Grand.

IBM Building
330 North Wabash is located in Chicago metropolitan area
330 North Wabash
330 North Wabash is located in Illinois
330 North Wabash
330 North Wabash is located in the United States
330 North Wabash
Location330 North Wabash, Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates41°53′19″N 87°37′39.3″W
Built1973 (1973)
ArchitectLudwig Mies van der Rohe
NRHP reference No.09000166[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 11, 2010
Designated CLFebruary 6, 2008

The building's original corporate namesake no longer owns nor has offices in the building. IBM sold IBM Plaza to the Blackstone Group in 1996. IBM all but completed its move out of IBM Plaza as of early 2006, taking up space in the new Hyatt Center building closer to Union Station. Current major tenants are the American Medical Association, Langham Chicago managed by Langham Hotels International, WeWork and law firm Latham & Watkins.[3]

The former IBM Plaza has several design features that are rare in an office building but understandable given its original owner. The building's electrical system, environmental system, floor strength, and ceiling height (on certain floors) can support large raised floor computing centers. With even more need to contain possible electrical fires, fire safety was especially important, and asbestos was one of the most useful fire prevention materials of that era. As with most other buildings of that era, asbestos abatement is an ongoing aspect of building life,[4] with air quality monitoring, asbestos "mapping," and opportunistic asbestos removal when feasible. Also, given IBM's traditional office hours, large number of workers, and commercial interest in marketing then emerging electronic building control systems (notably the IBM Series/1 and its predecessors), the "banked" intelligent passenger elevator system (with separate all-floor cargo elevators) is significantly over-provisioned for a building of its size and rarely keeps anyone waiting long for service. IBM Plaza stayed dry during the 1992 Chicago Flood.

In 2007, plans were announced to convert floors two through thirteen of the 52-story building into a high-end hotel. The Langham, Chicago which opened in 2013, occupying floors two through thirteen. The Langham Hotel in the building was named the best hotel in the United States by US News in 2017.[5] The building was declared a Chicago Landmark on February 6, 2008, and added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 26, 2010. It is the youngest building in Chicago on both lists.

On December 9, 2011, the American Medical Association announced it would move its headquarters and entire workforce to 330 N. Wabash from its previous headquarters on State Street. The move occurred in September 2013 and the building was renamed AMA Plaza.[6]

Position in Chicago's skyline
The skyline of a city with many large skyscrapers; in the foreground is a green park and a lake with many sailboats moored on it. Over 30 of the skyscrapers and some park features are labeled.
  • The sign of the plaza in 2006
    The sign of the plaza in 2006
  • The building is seen briefly in the film The Corporation.
  • This building is used in The Dark Knight, where it is the location of Harvey Dent's and Mayor Anthony Garcia's offices as well as the Wayne Enterprises headquarters (including the company board room).
  • This building is used in Dhoom 3, where Sahir Khan's apartment was.
  • The building is also used in the opening episode (Season 1, Episode 1) of the original Netflix series Ozark, where Jason Bateman's character and his business partner are touring potential new office space.
  • In Buck Rogers That Man on Beta (1979 novel), the building (set in year 2492) is collapsed and makes a bridge to the Inner City. This is due to the nuclear holocaust in 1987.

Current tenants

Former tenants

See also

References
  1. "Announcements and actions on properties for the National Register of Historic Places for March 26, 2010". Weekly Listings. National Park Service. March 26, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  2. Kamin, Blair (May 11, 2005). "Another perspective: views around the worksites". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on May 6, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2008.
  3. “IBM Plaza in Chicago”, IBM Archives. IBM.com (Retrieved 2019-01-29).
  4. SEC Form 8-K Filing
  5. Rackl, Lori (February 3, 2017). "Chicago's Langham named best U.S. hotel". Chicago Tribune. p. Section 2, page 3.
  6. "IBM building to get new tenant, name: AMA Plaza". Chicago Tribune. December 9, 2011. Archived from the original on January 1, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 330 North Wabash (Chicago).
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.