680 N Lake Shore Drive facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 680 N Lake Shore Drive |
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(April 2010)
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| Alternative names | American Furniture Mart |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Architectural style | neo-gothic |
| Address | 680 North Lake Shore Drive |
| Construction started | 1922 |
| Completed | 1926 |
| Height | |
| Architectural | 474 ft |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 29 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Nimmons & Co. |
680 N Lake Shore Drive is a very tall building in Chicago, Illinois. It is also known as Lake Shore Place. This 29-story building is located in the Streeterville area. It was finished in 1926 and was first called the American Furniture Mart.
The building was designed in two parts. The eastern half was designed by Raeder, George C. Nimmons, and Max Dunning. The western half was designed by Nimmons and Dunning. When it was completed, this building was 474 feet (144 meters) tall. It covered a whole city block. This made it the largest building in the world at that time.
Building Design and Features
The American Furniture Mart was built in two main steps. The first part, the eastern section, was finished in 1923. The second part, which included the tall tower, was completed in 1926. The eastern part of the building is made with strong reinforced concrete. The western part and the tower are built with steel.
In the years 1979 to 1984, the building was changed. David L. Paul led this project. He hired Lohan Associates, Inc. to help with the design. The building was turned into apartments and office spaces.
Today, 680 N Lake Shore Drive has 415 condo units. These are divided into three different groups: the Tower, the Lake, and the South residences. The building also has a lot of space for businesses. There are 420,000 square feet (39,000 m2) for offices. There are also 65,000 square feet (6,000 m2) for shops. Plus, it has seven levels of indoor parking.
History of the Building
For many years, the building's address was 666 North Lake Shore Drive. In 1984, the building faced some financial problems. A bank took over ownership for a while. To help the building start fresh, the address was changed.
On May 1, 1988, the address officially became 680 N Lake Shore Drive. This change helped the building move past its earlier financial difficulties.
A famous radio station, WCFL (AM), used to be in this building. Their studios were here from 1931 until 1964. After that, they moved their broadcast facilities to Marina City. They stayed there for the next 25 years.
As of 2017, many of the office spaces in the building are rented by medical companies. In 2017, the part of the building used for businesses was sold to a company called TopMed Realty. They bought it for $109.5 million.
