Chicago Federal Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chicago Federal Building |
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The Chicago Federal Building looking southwest from Adams and Dearborn Streets with the Chicago Board of Trade Building visible behind the dome
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts |
| Town or city | Chicago, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 41°52′45″N 87°37′45″W / 41.879191°N 87.629085°W |
| Construction started | 1898 |
| Completed | 1905 |
| Demolished | 1965 |
| Client | US Federal Government |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Henry Ives Cobb |
The Chicago Federal Building was a large government building in Chicago, Illinois. It was built between 1898 and 1905. This important building held many different government offices. It was home to the federal courts, the main post office, and other government groups.
The building stood in a busy area of Chicago called The Loop. Before it was built, an older post office and courthouse stood on the same spot. That old building was taken down to make room for the new one. The Chicago Federal Building itself was later taken down in 1965. A new building, the Kluczynski Federal Building, stands there today.
Leaders in Chicago wanted a new building because the city was growing very fast. After the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, Chicago's population exploded. The old government building became too small for all the people and services. For example, the post office needed many more workers. Other government offices also said the old building was poorly built and had problems.
Contents
Building the Federal Building
In 1895, the US Congress decided to spend money to build a new federal building. The old building was not safe and could not hold all the government offices. Many offices had to be in different buildings around the city.
The Chicago Federal Building was special because it was the first government building planned to house a post office. Work to take down the old building started in 1896. The post office moved to a temporary spot nearby.
Building the new foundation began in 1897 and finished in 1898. The foundation was very strong, supported by wooden poles driven deep into the ground. The first two floors of the building covered the entire area of the site.
The main construction work began in 1898. The building took seven years to finish. This was because the government only gave out enough money for one part of the project at a time. There was no single main builder. Instead, over 100 different companies worked on the building.
The finished building was very tall, reaching about 297 feet (90 meters). President William McKinley officially opened the building on October 9, 1899. The post office parts were ready in 1904, and other government groups moved in by 1905.
Building Style and Design
The Chicago Federal Building was designed in the Beaux-Arts style by architect Henry Ives Cobb. This style is known for being grand and classical. The building had a steel frame, and its outside walls were covered with gray granite stone. The dome on top was covered with shiny gilt glass tiles.
The building's shape was like a Greek cross, which means all four arms of the cross were the same length. It had a large dome in the middle. The dome held eight more floors of offices, making the building 16 floors tall in total. The golden dome rose about 100 feet (30 meters) above the main part of the building.
The post office was located in the basement and the first two floors. The courts, judges, and other legal offices were on the sixth, seventh, and eighth floors of one section. Offices for the weather bureau and other agencies were in the dome.
Inside, the building was very fancy. The four sections of the building met under the dome to create a large, open area called a rotunda. This rotunda was inspired by ancient Roman buildings. It was even bigger than the rotunda in the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C.!
The inside had beautiful details made from materials like terra cotta and marble. The doors were made of oak wood with brass handles. Courtrooms and other offices used rich mahogany wood. Different types of marble from across the United States and Italy were used for floors and stairs. The rotunda floor had marble with colorful mosaic tiles.
Important Moments
The Chicago Federal Building was the site of many important events.
- The US District Court for Northern Illinois was here until 1964. The US Court of Appeals also met here until 1938.
- The official Weather Bureau office was in the dome from 1905 to 1925. They took weather measurements from there.
- In 1907, a famous judge named Kenesaw Mountain Landis heard a big case here. He later became the first leader of professional baseball.
- A powerful explosion happened on the north side of the building on September 4, 1918. It caused a lot of damage and injured many people.
- Walt Disney worked at the post office in this building for a few months in 1918.
- Another explosive device was found in the building on October 31, 1921, but it was safely removed before it could explode.
- In 1931, the courtroom of Judge James Herbert Wilkerson was the location for the trial of a famous gangster, Al Capone.
The courts and other government offices moved to the new Dirksen Federal Building in the 1960s. The Chicago Federal Building was then taken down in 1965. The Kluczynski Federal Building and a post office now stand in its place. A large sculpture called Flamingo by Alexander Calder is in the plaza between these new buildings.
Images for kids
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Adams Street entrance after the 1918 explosion
See also
In Spanish: Chicago Federal Building para niños
