The City Hall-County Building, commonly known as City Hall, is a 12-story building in Chicago, Illinois that houses the seats of government of the City of Chicago and Cook County. The building's west side on LaSalle Street (City Hall) holds the offices of the mayor,

city clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a Tow ...

, and city treasurer; some city departments; offices of alderpersons of Chicago's 50

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

; and the

Chicago City Council The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms. The council is gaveled into session regularly, usually mont ...

's chambers. The building's east side on Clark Street (County Building) houses offices of the Government of Cook County, including the

Cook County Board of Commissioners The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district, and a president who is elected county-wide, all for four-year terms. Cook County, which includes the City of Chicago, is the Uni ...

' chambers. The building spans a city block bounded by Randolph Street to the north, Washington Street to the south, Clark Street to the east, and LaSalle Street to the west. It is the seventh building to serve as Chicago's city hall, the fourth built at its location, and the third shared by the governments of Chicago and Cook County. Its location has served as the seat of the city and county governments since 1853, except for a period from 1871—when the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the building—to 1885. The building was designed by the architectural firm Holabird & Roche in the classical revival style. Its two sections were finished three years apart: the county building (east) was completed in 1908; the city hall (west) was completed in 1911. It was officially dedicated on February 27, 1911. The "fifth floor" is sometimes used as a

metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...

for the office and power of the mayor, whose office is located on the fifth floor of the building.

History

Past Buildings (1837-1908)

The first Chicago City Hall in 1837 was in leased chambers in the Saloon Building on the corner of Lake and Clark Streets. The city next leased space in a building owned by Nancy Chapman, from 1842 until 1848, when Old Market Hall was constructed in LaSalle Street. The city owned market hall held city council business on its second floor, with shops below until 1853. A new combined city hall and county

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

was then constructed in the public square made by Randolph, LaSalle, Washington, and Clark Streets (this building, which later burned, is sometimes referred to as, ''Old Chicago Courthouse''). President Abraham Lincoln's body lay in state at the old courthouse city hall prior to his burial in

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

in 1865. The courthouse bell was rung in 1871 to raise the alarm during the Great Chicago Fire before the hall burned to the ground. A hastily constructed hall nicknamed the 'old rookery' was built around a water tank that survived the fire at LaSalle and Adams streets—today, that site houses the Rookery Building (built 1888). In 1885, the city and county completed construction of a new combined building in the French Empire style at the present site (and the site of the old courthouse). This building was demolished and replaced in 1905 by the present and larger classical revival structure.

Holabird & Roche Building (1908-present)

The city and county jointly sponsored an architectural competition that Holabird & Roche won by unanimous vote. Construction of the county building (east wing) began in 1905, and by 1907 some county offices were already beginning to move in. Construction of city hall (the west wing) was delayed until 1909 because the city had to wait for the State to increase its borrowing authority. Despite the delay, the two wings were easily linked together because the builders of the first wing arranged all necessary steel structural connections on its westernmost wall (where the wings meet) in anticipation of the second wing. Four construction workers died during the demolition of the old building and construction of the new one. The building is distinguished by its colossal, 118 feet-tall, 9 feet-wide Woodbury granite Corinthian orders - among the largest ever built. The columns are hollow and were built in 5 feet-high segments. Altogether, the outer walls and orders are clad in 180,000 cubic feet of granite weighing 30 million pounds. The ground floor lobby is clad in solid polished Botticino marble. On March 21, 1957, a fire destroyed the original, Italian Renaissance-style City Council Chamber, which featured murals by Frederick Clay Bartlett and oak paneling imported from England. A completely remodeled, contemporary-style chamber reopened in 1958. Daley Plaza 060716

During a major renovation project initiated in 1967, seventy-five percent of the interior of the building from basement to roof was renovated, including new suspended ceilings, partitions, flooring, lighting, wall finishes, bathrooms and boilers. The renovation was overseen by the Office of the City Architect with Holabird & Root serving as consulting architect. The adjacent

Richard J. Daley Center The Richard J. Daley Center, also known by its open courtyard Daley Plaza and named after longtime mayor Richard J. Daley, is the premier civic center of the City of Chicago in Illinois. The Center's modernist skyscraper primarily houses of ...

was constructed as an annex in the 1960s as the city and county governments outgrew the city hall-county building.

Features

Entrance Reliefs

The main (west) City Hall entrance features four

reliefs Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

sculpted by

John Flanagan John Flanagan or Jack Flanagan may refer to: Sportspeople * Jack Flanagan (footballer) (1902–1989), English footballer * John Flanagan (hammer thrower) (1868–1938), Irish-American three-time Olympic champion in athletics * John Flanagan (Limeri ...

. Each of the panels represents one of four principal concerns of city government: playgrounds, schools, parks, and water supply. The main (east) County Building entrance features four additional high reliefs: a man studying a scroll; a man holding a sailing ship and fishing net; and two near-identical reliefs depicting an older version of the county seal flanked by two young men. File:Chicago City Hall (51575574600).jpg File:Relief sculpture panel, Chicago City Hall, Chicago, early 20th century (NBY 605).jpg, alt= File:Relief sculpture panel, Chicago City Hall, Chicago, early 20th century (NBY 894).jpg File:Relief sculpture panel, Chicago City Hall, Chicago, early 20th century (NBY 758).jpg File:Relief sculpture panel, Chicago City Hall, Chicago, early 20th century (NBY 547).jpg File:Chicago City Hall, County Building, Coat Of Arms Detail (2129228123).jpg File:Entrance To Chicago's City Hall (2130003764).jpg

Green Roof

In 2001, roof gardens were completed atop the west wing serving as a pilot project to assess the impact green roofs would have on the heat island effect in urban areas, rainwater runoff, and the effectiveness of differing types of green roofs and plant species for Chicago's climate. Although the rooftop is not normally accessible to the public, it is visually accessible from 33 taller buildings in the area. The Garden consists of 20,000 plants of more than 150 species, including shrubs, vines and two trees. The green roof design team was headed by the Chicago area fir
Conservation Design Forum
in conjunction with noted "green" architect

William McDonough William Andrews McDonough is an American architect, designer, and author. McDonough is founding principal of William McDonough + Partners, co-founder of McDonough MBDC, and co-author of ''Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things'' a ...

. With an abundance of flowering plants on the rooftop, beekeepers harvest approximately of honey each year from hives installed on the rooftop. Tours of the green roof are by special arrangement only. The Chicago City Hall Green Roof won the Merit Design Award of the American Society of Landscape Architecture (ASLA) competition in 2002. Nationalgeograph351919nat.pdf, page=39, City Hall-County Building as seen in the January 1919 issue of National Geographic Magazine Secretary Kerry Departs Chicago Mayor Emanuel's Office After Their Meeting (30500010211).jpg, "The Fifth Floor", John Kerry leaving the mayor's office (2016) Chicago City Hall.jpg, City Hall-County Building shortly before construction was completed in 1911 20080708 Chicago City Hall Green Roof.JPG, A roof garden graces City Hall (west wing). Fasces on City Hall Chicago.jpg, A

fasces Fasces ( ; ; a ''plurale tantum'', from the Latin word ''fascis'', meaning "bundle"; it, fascio littorio) is a bound bundle of wooden rods, sometimes including an axe (occasionally two axes) with its blade emerging. The fasces is an Italian symbo ...

above the entrance to the building.

In media

The exterior and parts of the interior of the building were featured in the 1980 comedy film '' The Blues Brothers'' when the titular characters, Jake and Elwood Blues, race to the building to pay a tax deadline while being chased by a horde of police officers, firefighters, and the military. The building's interiors of were featured in the 1993 blockbuster movie '' The Fugitive'', where Richard Kimble (played by

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

) is chased down the stairs by U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard ( Tommy Lee Jones), until spilling into the lobby, where Kimble narrowly escapes being apprehended by Gerard and his men.

Agencies

The Following Agencies are located in City Hall: *Elected Offices: ** Office of the Mayor - 5th Floor ***Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities ** City Council - 2nd Floor (Council Chambers) **

City Clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a Tow ...

- 1st Floor ** Treasurer - Room 106 *Buildings Department - Room 900 *Department of Finance - 7th Floor *Department of Law - Suite 600 *Business Affairs and Consumer Protection - 8th Floor *Department of Planning and Development - 10th Floor *Department of Streets and Sanitation - Room 1107 *Office of Emergency Management and Communications *Department of Procurement Services - Room 806 *Department Human Resources

References

External links

Chicago Landmarks: City Hall-County Building

Historic American Buildings Survey: Chicago City Hall, National Park Service, 1981

{{Authority control City and town halls in Illinois

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

Central Chicago

Government buildings completed in 1911

1911 establishments in Illinois Projects by Holabird & Root Chicago Landmarks Government of Cook County, Illinois