Careful Renovations Keep Chicago's Rookery Relevant

The Rookery. Chicago, Illinois.

The Rookery, located in the heart of Chicago’s financial district, is one of the greatest surviving examples of the early commercial skyscraper. When construction was completed in 1888 it was thought to be the largest and finest office building in the US. Through careful updates and renovations The Rookery continues to be a successful retail and office building to this day. Its construction was a part of the massive effort to rebuild the city after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Architects Daniel Burnham* and John Wellborn Root were commissioned by owners, the Central Safe Deposit co, and Boston developers and investors, Peter and Shepherd Brooks. The intention was to build a retail and office space that would command high rents by providing an elevator, natural light, excellent mechanical systems, and a grand lobby. The architecture was influenced by the Beaux-Arts style, mixing modern building techniques (iron, glass, fireproofing) with traditional ones (brick facades, elaborate ornamentation). The building design motifs draw upon the Moorish, Byzantine, Venetian, and Romanesque influences- while the facade is red granite and brick. Light and air were design challenges in downtown Chicago and Burnham and Root were innovative in bringing natural light and ventilation to the building through a central light well and atrium. Additional innovation was demonstrated in the design of a “floating foundation”- which provided the building with a solid platform on Chicago’s notoriously swampy soil. In 1905 Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to modernize the lobby which he did by redesigning it in the Prairie Style, adding white marble, planters, and light fixtures. Further updates were completed by William Drummond in 1931 to bring an Art Deco aesthetic. In 1970 The Rookery was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1972 it became an official Chicago Landmark. In 1988 L.T. Baldwin III purchased The Rookery with the intent to preserve its grandeur while adapting to modern day technologies. Over the years the building has won numerous awards for its lighting and energy credentials. It achieved LEED Gold Certification in 2014, making it the oldest certified high rise in the world. The Rookery is a leading example of how to preserve a historic building while providing a modern work environment and being a pioneer in sustainability and energy efficiency. *Burnham was also an urban planner- creating the master plan for the city of Chicago and downtown Washington DC. A few other notable buildings he feigned include: Flatiron Building (NYC), Union Station (DC), Selfridges (London), and the Merchants Exchange Building (San Francisco).