S.R. Crown Hall

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S.R. Crown Hall
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Location:	Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA
Coordinates:	41°50′1″N, 87°37′38″W
Built/Founded:	1950 - 1956[1]
Architect:	Ludwig Mies van der Rohe[1]
Architectural style(s):	Modernist, International Style
Added to NRHP:	August 7, 2001[2]
Reference #:	01001049
Governing body:	Illinois Institute of Technology

S. R. Crown Hall, designed by the German-born Modern architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, is the home of the College of Architecture at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Illinois.

[edit] History

Widely regarded as one of the most architecturally significant buildings of the 20th Century, Crown Hall was completed in 1956 during Mies van der Rohe's tenure as director of IIT's Department of Architecture. Crown Hall incorporates a clear span of 220 by 120 feet accomplished by steel plate girders situated above the roof. The building is famous for its clear structural expression, the varying qualities of transparency in its ultra-thin steel and glass facade, and the open, free flowing interior of the "universal space." Upon its opening, Mies van der Rohe declared it "the clearest structure we have done, the best to express our philosophy," and recent critics have gone so far as to call it the Parthenon of the 20th Century.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Landmark Status and Renovation

S.R. Crown Hall was named a National Historic Landmark in 2001, and the remainder of the IIT Main Campus was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.^[1][2] In August 2005, a major renovation was completed, rescuing the building from years of lagging maintenance, enhancing its accessibility and functionality, improving overall energy and environmental performance, and restoring Crown close to its 1956 appearance. The original 'Detroit graphite' lead paint was stripped from the structural steel and replaced with a safer and more durable black Tnemec paint. The glazing was completely replaced with panes and stops that meet current wind load requirements. True sandblasted glass, original to the building but absent since a prior renovation, was installed in the lower panes. The entire south porch was demolished and replaced. Interior wood partitions and storage lockers were refinished and resurfaced, and additional electrical and ethernet wiring was added to the main floor.

[edit] References