Chicago Landmarks
 

Crown Hall

Main Entrance, photo by Bob Thall, 1997     Address: 3360 S. State St.
Year Built: 1950 - 1956
Architect: Mies van der Rohe
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: October 1, 1997

Interior, photo by Bob Thall, 1997 A defining structure of 20th-century modern architecture, this is one of the masterpieces of the world-reknowned architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Designed to house Illinois Institute of Technology's departments of architecture, planning, and design, the building's dramatic, structurally-expressive form resulted from the need to create an open interior space that could be flexibly adapted for changing needs and uses. Instead of interior columns, the roof is hung from exposed steel trusses bridging the depth of the building. It was named for S. R. Crown, a co-founder of the Material Service Corporation.