Citicorp Centre
Sited amongst the cluster of high-rises that have
quickened growth along the west edge of downtown, this building
was achieved only at the price of losing one of the great
Gustavino-vaulted buildings of the early 20th century,
the old Chicago & Northwestern station. Most of the
1,600,000sq ft of the building are allocated to office space,
while the lower reaches contain the new terminal facilities.
To re-awaken the sense of the vast interior that so
distinguished the former building, Helmutt Jahn has
created a lobby 80ft high, bordered by shops. The space is mammoth,
made palpably more so by the powerful play of structural
beams and coulmns that make a strong first impression of
architectural Chicago for people arriving to the city.