City Hall-County Building

41°53′02″N 87°37′54″W / 41.88386°N 87.631631°W / 41.88386; -87.631631

City Hall-County Building
View from Daley Plaza (2014)
Map
General information
Architectural styleNeoclassical architecture
LocationChicago
Completed1911; 113 years ago (1911)
Height218 ft
Technical details
Floor count12
Floor area760,000 sq ft
Design and construction
Architect(s)Holabird & Roche

The City Hall-County Building, commonly known as City Hall, is a 12-story building in Chicago, Illinois that houses the seats of government of the City of Chicago and Cook County.[1][2] The building's west side (City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St.)[3] holds the offices of the mayor, city clerk, and city treasurer; some city departments; offices of alderpersons of Chicago's 50 wards; and the Chicago City Council's chambers.[4][5][6] The building's east side (County Building, 118 N. Clark St.)[7] houses offices of the Government of Cook County, including the Cook County Board of Commissioners' chambers.[8]

The building spans a city block bounded by Randolph Street to the north, Washington Street to the south, Clark Street to the east, and LaSalle Street to the west.[9] It is the seventh building to serve as Chicago's city hall, the fourth built at its location, and the third shared by the governments of Chicago and Cook County.[10][11] Its location has served as the seat of the city and county governments since 1853, except for a period from 1871—when the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the building—to 1885.[10][11]

The building was designed by the architectural firm Holabird & Roche in the classical revival style.[1] Its two sections were finished three years apart: the county building (east) was completed in 1908; the city hall (west) was completed in 1911.[1] It was officially dedicated on February 27, 1911.[12]

The "fifth floor" is sometimes used as a metonym for the office and power of the mayor, whose office is located on the fifth floor of the building.[13]

  1. ^ a b c "City Hall-County Building". City of Chicago - Chicago Landmarks. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  2. ^ "Green Roofs on Historic Buildings: City Hall, Chicago, Illinois (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  3. ^ "Contact Us". www.chicago.gov. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  4. ^ "Office of the Mayor". www.chicago.gov. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  5. ^ "Contact Chicago Treasurer's Office | Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin". Chicago Treasurer's Office | Melissa Conyears-Ervin - Chicago Treasurer | CTO | Chicago Illinois. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  6. ^ "Ward Offices". www.chicago.gov. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  7. ^ "Cook County Facilities - County Building". cookcountyil.gov. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  8. ^ "Secretary to the Board of Commissioners". www.cookcountyil.gov. December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  9. ^ "9. First floor plan, published in 'Architectural Record', Vol 31, No. 4, April 1912, p 356, courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago - Chicago City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "CHICAGO'S SEVEN CITY HALLS". WTTW Chicago. November 22, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Then and Now: Chicago's City Halls". WTTW Chicago. December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  12. ^ Viehe-Naess, Ivan (September 1, 1981). "Chicago City Hall" (PDF). Library of Congress. America's City Halls. National Park Service. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  13. ^ Shepard, Steven. "Black women make history in Chicago mayoral election". Retrieved February 27, 2019.