related books.James R. Thompson Center Facts
- the exact address of the building is 100 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601;
- it occupies the entire block bounded by Randolph St (on the South), Lake St (on the North), Clark St (on the East) and La Salle St (on the West);
- it houses more offices of the State Of Illinois administration than the entire Capital of the State (Springfield);
- it was opened in May of 1985 and it was originally named State Of Illinois Center (which is why, to this day, many locals still call it The State Building); it was renamed in 1993 to honor former Illinois Governor James R. Thompson;
- the original plan required curved, insulated glass panels; they were considered extremely expensive and replaced by single-paned (non-insulated), curved glass panels; the result was a more expensive air conditioning system which raises the maintenance costs; however, during many hot summer days, the system can’t keep up with the heat (internal temperatures as high as 90 degrees Fahrenheit have been recorded);
- the building houses a tremendous art collection starting with the “Monument With Standing Beast” sculpture by Jean Dubuffet which stands in front of the center.
