Status Complete Construction started 1988 Architectural 292.9 m (961 ft) Floors 65 | Type Office Completed 1990 Height 293 m Phone +1 312-692-8202 | |
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Hours Open today · 8:30AM–5:30PMWednesday8:30AM–5:30PMThursday8:30AM–5:30PMFriday8:30AM–5:30PMSaturdayClosedSundayClosedMonday(Casimir Pulaski Day)8:30AM–5:30PMHours might differTuesday8:30AM–5:30PM Similar The Franklin Center, Two Prudential Plaza, Chase Tower, Aon Center, Grant Thornton Tower Profiles | ||
311 south wacker drive
311 South Wacker Drive in Chicago, USA, is a post-modern 65-story skyscraper completed in 1990. At 961 feet (293 m) tall, it is the seventh tallest building in Chicago and the 21st tallest in the United States. It was once the tallest reinforced concrete building in the world. Until 2015, 311 South Wacker was also the tallest building in the world known only by its street address, when it was replaced by New York's 432 Park Avenue.
Contents
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-foot (26 m)-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
The top of the building is a 105-foot (32 m)-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.