Chase Tower in Chicago, Illinois

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One of Chicago's unsung but still beautiful skyscrapers, the JPMorgan Chase Tower stands watch as the most prominent architectural feature of the central Loop.It's most noticeable physical aspects are the graceful slopes of its Northern and Southern flanks. They induce a bit of forced perspective and make the tower seem taller than it is, but were designed to serve a purely utilitarian function. At the time this building was erected, the bank that commissioned it needed a large contiguous floorplate at ground level to handle daily transactions while at the same time offering high-placed executives equally high offices in the tower portion of the building. The solution was a downward slope that also adds geometric interest to what would otherwise be a fairly bland brown rectangle.It seems almost Japanese in structure, in part because of the windows set back from the concrete creating a visual moment reminiscent of a high-tech hive, and because of the "Fuji" shape that reveals itself on the mostly windowless Eastern and Western facades.It should be no surprise, then, to lear that the building's designer was Japanese. He has designed several nearly identical buildings around the world including Tokyo and New York. The mostly blank thin sides of the building are actually where most of the buildings services (pipes, stairwells, etc...) are located, freeing up the middle of the building for offices.The Southern slope descends below grade level into a sunken garden with a fountain at its center. This should be a welcoming place of relief for weary Loop workers in much the same way that the sunken plaza at the John Hancock Center provides a refuge for weary shoppers, but it does not. The plaza is mostly ignored by the public, in part because it is almost entirely concrete, and lacks any greenery or water features that anyone can get near. Further, its bright color intensifies the Summer sun and turns the bowl into a parabolic cooker for anyone who stays too long. Quick Facts Construction start: 1964 Construction finish: 1969 Designed by: Perkins+Will Type: Skyscraper Stories: 60 Maximum Height: 850 feet / 259 meters Statistics Rentable square feet: 1,900,000 Timeline November 17, 2004: A construction crane working on 7 South Dearborn crashed into the side of this building, knocking a hole in a window. Glass shattered inside the building, and a piece of the crane fell onto a car below, but no one was hurt. November 20, 2005: The illuminated "Chase" logo was added to the top of the building, and it was renamed Chase Tower. Notes Architecture firm: Perkins & Will Architecture firm: C.F. Murphy Associates The roof that protects the Chegall mosaic in this building's sunken plaza was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. It was added in 1996 The sunken plaza is officially named Excelon Plaza. Although other Chase Towers around the country changed their names to JPMorgan Chase Tower after the merger, this building retains its "Chase Tower" moniker. This is the tallest building inside The Loop proper, defined by the CTA elevated rail loop. (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)