I'm going outside the mainstream here, and am NOT picking John Hancock or Sears Tower for my favorite Windy City building.
Nope, I'm going with Prudential Plaza!
"Pru Plaza" as the locals call it, consists of two buildings-- one old, one new, and the contrast is striking. To me, Pru Plaza suggests evolution and continuity... the old giving way to the new, in a beutiful way.
According to the buildings' web site:
Prudential Plaza consists of two Class A high-rise office towers, totaling approximately 2.2 million square feet, which are located in the East Loop of Chicago, Illinois. The two office towers share a common lobby and mezzanine level, with matching internal architectural features. The buildings are situated on a beautifully landscaped 3.3 acres and also have a five-level underground parking garage.
Prudential Plaza occupies a full city block and is connected to an underground network of pedestrian walkways which provide direct access to hotels, retail services, City Hall, the Chicago Transit Authority main subway and elevated lines and the Metra Randolph Street Station.
Our friends at Wikipedia have not one, but two separate entries (one for each building) for Pru Plaza. They both report that the complex was sold in 2006 for a whopping $460 million to Los Angeles Real Esate Investor Fred Wehba who runs the company Bentley Forbes. "C. Frederick Wehba" as he is properly known (sounds kind of like "C. Montgomery Burns" doesn't it?), has an impressive portfolio of properties all over the country and if you like buildings, like me, his name is one you'll want to get to know!
Some Pru Plaza links:
Prudential Plaza [official web site]
One Prudential Plaza [Wikipedia]
Two Prudential Plaza [Wikipedia]
Prudential Plaza [Emporis]
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