S. R. Crown Hall

Chicago, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Completed in 1956, S. R. Crown Hall stands on the Illinois Institute of Technology campus in Chicago as a defining work of modernist architecture by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who had led the college's architecture program for two decades. The rectangular structure, measuring 120 by 220 feet with its longer axis running east–west, exemplifies Mies's minimalist aesthetic through its expansive glass curtain wall divided into three horizontal tiers of panes interspersed with steel columns and mullions. The main floor, raised six feet above grade, is supported by four pairs of columns beneath four girders and remains largely open, uninterrupted by interior supports save two mechanical shafts. The basement houses rooms arranged around a U-shaped corridor. Named for businessman S. R. Crown, whose brothers funded the $250,000 construction cost, the building was dedicated on April 30, 1956, and has since been recognized as a landmark of modern architecture, receiving numerous accolades and appearing on a postage stamp. It is designated a Chicago Landmark and National Historic Landmark.

Architect

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Movement

modern architecture

Built: 1956
Type: university building
Heritage: National Register of Historic Places listed place, Chicago Landmark
Place: Chicago, United States

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Location

41.83306, -87.62722