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One Prudential Plaza

130 East Randolph Street, Loop Downtown
Chicago IL United States

Status:
built
Construction Dates
  Began1952
  Finished1955
Floor Count41
Building Uses
 - office
 - communication
 - parking garage
 - restaurant
 - station
Structural Types
 - highrise
 - pole

 Heights ValueSource / Comments 
Antenna912 ftCTBUH
Roof601 ftCTBUH
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Description
Architect: Naess & Murphy

• Constructors: Sager Sealant Corporation, Western Waterproofing Company of America, Westinghouse Electric Elevator, Schindler Elevator.
• Others: Alan G. Davenport Wind Engineering Group BLWTL, Fischbach & Moore, George A. Fuller Company, C.F. Murphy Associates, Shorenstein Company, LP, Tractel Ltd. North Central, Weather-Tite Inc.
___________________________________________________________

• When built in 1955 as the Prudential's Mid-America company headquarters, the building was significant as the first new in city downtown over 21 years, after LaSalle Bank Building of 1934, and with new office standards, for example with fastest elevators, which made it won numerous industry awards for its design.

• Its mast served as Chicago's WGN-TV broadcasting antenna.

• Designed by Alfonzo Lanelli, a Rock of Gibraltar relief carving, symbol of the Prudential Insurance Company, stays next to the main entrance.

• At time of opening, the building included one of world's largest parking facilities inside an office building.

• The facade is of limestone vertical strips and ridged aluminum.

• Initially the design would be different with 2 symmetrically placed side blocks at the lower floors, but the western one was eliminated and the eastern one heightened.

• Before taller buildings appeared, this one had a public observation deck with million visitors in 1956.

• It has a subway station under the building.

• Highest roof in Chicago when built, lower only than the statue of Ceres on the Board of Trade.

• The building and its sister, the Two Prudential Plaza, wwere sold in May 2006 for US$ 470 million to BentleyForbes, a Los Angeles-based real estate investment company.

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