Chase Tower (Chicago)


Chase Tower, located in the Chicago Loop area of Chicago, in the U.S. state of Illinois at 10 South Dearborn Street, is a 60-story skyscraper completed in 1969. At 869 feet tall, it is the eleventh-tallest building in Chicago and the tallest building inside the Chicago 'L' Loop elevated tracks, and the 40th-tallest in the United States. Chase Bank has its U.S. and Canada commercial and retail banking headquarters here. The building is also the headquarters of Exelon.
The building and its plaza occupy the entire block bounded by Clark, Dearborn, Madison, and Monroe streets.

History

Before the building was constructed, the Morrison Hotel, on its former site, was demolished in 1965. The building first opened in 1969 as First National Plaza. When constructed, it was the headquarters of First Chicago Corporation. In 1998, it became the headquarters for Bank One Corporation, and accordingly it was renamed Bank One Tower, The current name dates from October 24, 2005, after Bank One merged with Chase. Chase's retail bank division is based in the tower.
Since May 2005 the National Public Radio show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! is taped on Thursday nights before a live audience at the Chase Auditorium under the plaza.

Design and features

Design architects for the construction were C.F. Murphy Associates, Stanislaw Z. Gladych and Perkins and Will. Chase Tower is known for both its distinctive curving shape and its vibrant public space: a deep sunken plaza at the geographic center of the Chicago Loop, complete with a jet fountain and Marc Chagall's ceramic wall mural Four Seasons.
The ground floor is home to the largest Chase Bank branch in Chicago with 22 ATMs.

Position in Chicago's skyline