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| Smurfit-Stone Building |
|
|
| Information |
| Location |
150 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois |
| Status |
Complete |
| Constructed |
1983 |
| Opening |
1984 |
| Roof |
582 feet (177 meter) |
| Floor count |
41 |
| Companies |
| Architect |
A. Epstein and Sons |
Smurfit-Stone Building, located at 150 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, is a 41 story, 582 foot (177 meter) skyscraper at 150 North Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, Illinois.[1] It was also known as the Stone Container Building and was formerly called the Associates Center.[citation needed] It is popularly referred to as the Diamond Building.[citation needed] Construction began in 1983 and was completed in 1984. The building, noted for its unusually slanted roof, was designed by Sheldon Schlegman of A. Epstein and Sons. The stated 41 floors do not actually include five unused levels in the building; they are located in the narrowest portion at the very peak of the diamond.[2]
Although the building looks as though it is split down the middle, the two sides are only slightly disjointed until nearing the top, where there is a gap between them. At times, its slanted roof — which has been likened to a skyscraper slashed with a knife — displays local sports slogans on its face, such as "GO BEARS" and "GO SOX".[citation needed]
At the time of its construction the Smurfit-Stone Building was considered to be a smart building, with sophisticated environmental and security controls. An urban legend states that the building was designed to resemble a vagina, but a spokesperson for the architectural firm that designed the building denied that it was supposed to be an anti-phallic symbol.[3]
[edit] In popular culture
Three years after its completion, the building played a role in the Touchstone Pictures film Adventures in Babysitting.
[edit] Position in Chicago's skyline
[edit] External links
