Bank of America Building in Chicago, Illinois

myminifactory

Human: This building gained national attention in December 2004 when fire swept through the 29th and 30th floors. From Baltimore to Florida to Los Angeles, people wondered how it was possible that a 44-story building could not have a fire suppression system. Locally, it added more fuel to the controversy over Chicago's fire regulations. Though the city considers itself to have the most advanced fire prevention rules in the world, for the second time in two years they were shown to be insufficient. The first incident came in October 2003 when six people died in a fire at the Cook County Administration Building. After that blaze, the city council vowed to address gaps in Chicago's fire code. Specifically, the rule which exempts high-rise buildings constructed before 1975 from having fire sprinklers. When the exemption was revealed in the media, there was outrage in the community, and among the family members of those who died. After a while, things settled down and people started to forget about the deadly fire. Then just 14 months later, this building erupted into flames. A dismayed public once again turned its ire on local politicians who a year earlier had promised to make the city's high-rise buildings safer. 135 South LaSalle was too exempt from rules requiring fire sprinklers. However, to the credit of the building owners, it was being retrofitted for sprinklers at the time of the fire. This time, Mayor Daley and the city council moved forward with a proposal to require sprinklers in office buildings, but not in residential buildings. The mayor claimed that requiring residential buildings to have sprinklers would bankrupt their owners. He further attacked labor unions and the construction industry for backing sprinklers in residential high-rises, saying they were only supporting the idea hoping to line their own pockets through extra work, especially when putting sprinklers in older buildings could expose hidden asbestos. Few people will ever get the chance to fully appreciate 135 South LaSalle. Its beauty and details have fallen victim to the kind of financial success that allowed the building to be built in the first place. It is socked in on all sides by neighboring towers which prevent mere pedestrians from getting a good look at the architecture around them. 135 South LaSalle is clearly influenced by Chicago's 1930s-era height regulations. It presents four broad 22-story shoulders to each of its corners, and in between an indentation which helps let light in to some of the interior offices, resulting in a footprint resembling a capital H. Follow any of these indentations upward, and you will see the building's tower. Because it is recessed on all sides, it appears to be part of another more distant building behind 135 South LaSalle. This creates an illusion that the tower is more distant and therefore taller than it really is. Adding to this are vertical elements in the building's main shaft which help safely guide the viewer's eye upward. Construction start: 1931 Construction finish: 1934 Designed by: Graham, Anderson, Probst & White Type: Skyscraper Stories: 44 Maximum Height: 535 feet / 163 meters Floor space: 1,000,000 square feet. December 6, 2004: Fire broke out on the 29th floor of this skyscraper. It was the second high-rise fire in Chicago's Loop in two years. The fire burned for five hours and spread to the 30th floor but no one was hurt. The building was in the process of being fitted with fire sprinklers. At the time of the fire, sprinklers were not required in buildings erected before 1975. December 20, 2004: For the first time people got a good look at this massive Art Deco skyscraper as it was engulfed in flames. This building was erected by the estate of department store magnate Marshall Field. It was intended to be the largest office building in the Loop. This is considered to be the last true Art Deco skyscraper built in Chicago's Loop district. This was the last major building erected in Chicago before a lull in construction brought on by the Great Depression and the Second World War. At the fifth floor are 17 panels depicting Robert Cavelier de la Salle's exploration of the area. He is believed to have made camp at this location. Considered by some to be Chicago's Empire State Building (Credit; Chicago Architecture) This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source community effort if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help. Scanned: Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)