Inland Steel Building

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"The 19-story office tower’s sleek facade combines shimmering aquamarine glass and stainless steel. Its innovative use of the metal pays homage to the building's namesake, the Inland Steel Company. Founded in Chicago in 1893, the company grew to become the eighth-largest steel producer in the United States by the 1950s. To celebrate this success, Inland Steel commissioned a new corporate headquarters in Chicago's Loop in 1954. They wanted a building with a modern design to highlight the enduring power of the steel industry and showcase their product as well as other postwar technologies. Architects Walter Netsch and Bruce Graham of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill obliged."

Inland Steel’s column-free interior demonstrates the Miesian design concept of universal space. Each level boasts 177 feet by 58 feet of unobstructed, usable space. This open plan aesthetic was truly innovative at the time of the building’s completion. It provided unmatched, flexible square footage to tenants. The clear-span construction is made possible by 14 exterior supporting columns, 60-foot girders and an adjacent 25-story service tower. The windowless tower, also clad in stainless steel, separates operational support from the professional offices. It is home to the building's essential systems including its lavatories, seven elevators, staircases and vertical circulation.

When completed in 1958, Inland Steel was the first building constructed in Chicago's Loop in more than 20 years. Its sleek sophisticated design ushered in a new era of modernity in the city. The primarily glass facade is completely devoid of ornamentation. This must have been a surprising change for Chicagoans accustomed to the richly ornamented terra cotta, brick and stone facades of the past.

The office tower seemingly floats above its glass-enclosed, transparent lobby—staying true to a Mid-Century Modern aesthetic. Housed inside the lobby is Radiant I, an abstract, contemporary sculpture. Artist Richard Lippold was commissioned by the Inland Steel Company to create a work specifically for the space. Composed of metal rods and wires, it spans a shallow reflecting pool. The lobby’s open aesthetic allows a privately-owned work of art to be experienced and appreciated by the public."