Amoco Building
Designed by Perkins & Will & Edward Durell Stone, this is
the giant building that Chicagoans love to hate. Because of the
decline in reputation of it's architect, it's absence of
corner offices, and the replacement of the original marble
cladding with the present granite, it is the subject of a
rich local folk-lore. For his part, Stone seems to have
adopted Louis Sullivan's idea of the tall office building;
that it should be "a proud and soaring thing, rising in sheer
exultation.....from top to bottom.....without a single dissenting line."
In it's relatively open site, it offers spectacular views of
the city and the lake from even the lower floors.
This slender steel structure faced with light grey granite is
the corporate headquarters of Amoco. The triangular sections
of granite contain the bulk of mechanical services such as the
utilities and air-conditioning, thus permitting flush window
wallsinside the building.