Inland Steel Building

This sculptural art - titled Radiant I - in the building lobby is what kept drawing my eye, so I finally stepped in for a snap, followed by some reading about the building's history. It turns out, Inland Steel was once a major corporation, since acquired by Ispat International. At the time of building completion in 1958 Inland was the eighth largest producer in the US. This innovative HQ designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill broke the post Depression freeze on new downtown tower construction. It contained many features that were a first for Chicago and now are commonplace: underground parking on-site, central air conditioning, steel pilings foundation, double-glazed for climate control, automatic window washing, and an automatic mail distribution system. This building is a star of mid century design, has been kept in excellent condition, and is included in downtown architecture tours.