Richard J. Daley Plaza
the Richard J. Daley Plaza is part of The Loop .Top photos chosen by u all:
Richard J. Daley Center
Made by andylawson2006
Joel Watkins, “Chicago Civic Center,” Digital Photograph, 1975, _Chicago Visit_, Gainesville, Georgia . The picture above is of the Richard J. Daley Center or better known as the Daley Plaza (its’ courtyard name). Originally known as the Chicago Civic Center the name was eventually changed to honor the longtime mayor of Chicago. Daley Plaza is the premier civic center of the city of Chicago in Illinois. The Daley Plaza is considered one of Chicago’s architectural highlights. Located in the heart of the Chicago Loop, the Daley Center was Chicago’s first major public building to be constructed in a modern rather than a classical architectural style. When completed in 1965 it was the tallest building in Chicago, but only held this title for four years until the John Hancock Center was completed. The Richard J. Daley Center was designed by C.F. Murphy Associates’ Jacques Brown. This architectural style is based on the revolutionary steel and glass skyscrapers of world-famous architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. With unusually wide grid of supports and the strong horizontal emphasis on its protruding joints the Daley Center shows itself to be an intelligent transformation from the previous designs of the day. The Daley Center was extremely successful in function. Cor-Ten steel was used to give the building its distinctive read and brown color. Cor-Ten is self-weathering steel which is designed to rust and then actually strengthens the structure of the building. The design on the building focused on two aspects both functionality and artistic qualities. The prime example of these two architectural ideals being combined is in the number of windows used along with open spaces inside the Daley Center. The functional expression is using solar heat to warm the building and provide more adequate lighting. The artistic expression of using many windows would coincide with the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s; wherein the architects focused on larger spaces with more openings which reflected the changes in society by the belief of equality. The open spaces and smaller enclosed areas reflected the change of segregation of race and an open environment throughout society. However, this belief does not reflect the Mayor that the building is named after. The Daley Center houses more than 120 court and hearing rooms as well as the official law library of the city of Chicago. The building also houses space for both the city and Cook County, of which the city of Chicago is its seat of governance. The most famous governing body formed under the leadership of Richard J. Daley. Daley was the boss of the urban Democratic political machine of Chicago and through Daley Plaza controlled the civic life of the city. Daley was known for his brutality and Machiavellian principles that established him as the “King Maker,” in the Democratic Party. Daley caused many controversial issues such as issuing a shoot to kill order on Civil Rights protestors, forcing minorities out of their neighborhoods for city construction, and most notably his handling of the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The building reflects upon the varying elements of social conflict that defined the 1960s and early 1970s. In 2002 the city of Chicago declared Daley Plaza a national historic landmark and listed on the National Register of Historical Places. 1. Peter Gossel and Gabriele Leuthauser, _Architecture of the 20th Century_. (Los Angeles: Taschen, 2005), 335. 2. Dell Upton _Architecture in the United States_ (New York: Oxford University Press 1998), 207. 3. David Watkin, _Morality and Architecture_ (Oxford: Claredon, 1977), 59. 4. Mike Royko, _Boss_ (New York: Penguin, 1988). Wikipedia Links: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_J._Daley_Center en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Architecture en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_J._Daley en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_machine
Daley Center
Made by Jim Frazier
Daley Center Plaza in Chicago August 2003 DSC03326 Copyright 2003 by Jim Frazier. This image is licensed for limited use ONLY under Creative Commons. See for more information.
Periodic Table
Made by Mike Mertz
I'm sure there's a reason somebody went to the trouble of printing up the periodic table and sticking it to all the windows of the Daley Center. I just don't know what that reason is.
Daley Plaza Picasso
Made by sjgardiner
The Picasso Sculpture (as made famous in the Blues Brothers movie) with Mies Van Der Rohe's Daley Plaza office tower behind it.
Calder Stabile
Made by rjseg1
Another view of Calder's Flamingo stabile. It is classic Calder, enormous metal pieces but exhibiting a delicate balance
Nearest places of interest:
| Chicago City Hall 181 West Madison Block 37 Chase Tower | Leo Burnett Building Renaissance Hotel Chicago James R. Thompson Center Michael Bilandic Building |
