Century Tower (Chicago) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Trustees System Service Building
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 Location in Chicago metropolitan area
Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
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| Built | 1930 |
| Architect | Thielbar, Frederick J.; Fugard John Reed |
| Architectural style | Skyscraper, Art Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 98001132 |
| Added to NRHP | September 3, 1998 |
The Century Tower Condominiums is a famous building in Chicago, Illinois. You can find it in the area called the Loop. This tall building has a long and interesting history, and it's known for its unique design. It was once called the Trustees System Service Building.
Contents
A Look Back: The Tower's Story
Building a Landmark
This amazing building was designed in 1929 and finished in 1930. When it was completed, it was the tallest building in the world made from reinforced concrete. Imagine how strong that must have been!
The first main business in the building was a bank called the Trustees System Service. This bank helped people with loans. The architects who designed it were Thielbar and Fugard. They used a cool style called Art Deco. This style was very popular back then.
What Does It Look Like?
The building has a main part that is twenty stories tall. On top of that, there's an eight-story tower. And on top of the tower, there's a shape that looks like a ziggurat. A ziggurat is a type of stepped pyramid, like ancient temples.
Over the years, many different countries had their offices, called consulates, in this building. Consulates are like small embassies that help people from their country who are visiting or living in Chicago.
A Place in History
Because of its special design and history, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 3, 1998. This means it's an important historical site that should be protected.
In 2003, the building changed from offices to apartments. Then, in August 2004, something exciting happened! The building was used to film parts of the movie Batman Begins. How cool is that? In September 2005, the apartments became condominiums, and the building got its current name, Century Tower.
Who Lived or Worked Here?
Over the years, many different groups and businesses called this building home. It was a very busy place!
Famous Tenants
Some of the past tenants include:
- WIND (AM) radio station.
- WJJD (AM) radio station.
International Connections
Many countries had their consulates here, helping their citizens. These included:
- The Belgian consulate.
- The Chinese consulate.
- The Cuban consulate.
- The Dominican consulate.
- The Grecian consulate.
- The Honduran consulate.
- The Hungarian consulate.
- The Italian consulate.
- The Mexican consulate.
The beautiful red marble you can see in the lobby came from a very old Roman quarry. This quarry is in the city of Oran, Algeria.
What Was It Called Before?
This building has had many different names throughout its history. It's like it had a new identity every few years!
Some of its former names were:
- Skyline Century of Progress
- The Lake and Wells Building
- The 201 Tower
- Corn Products Building
- Trustees System Service Building
Images for kids
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The Century Tower, also known as the Trustees System Service Building.
See also
In Spanish: Century Tower para niños
