CNA Center

CNA Center
CNA Center's unusual red exterior
General information
Status Complete
Type Office
Location 333 S Wabash Ave
Chicago
IL 60604
United States
Coordinates 41°52.6330′N 87°37.5422′W / 41.8772167°N 87.6257033°W / 41.8772167; -87.6257033Coordinates: 41°52.6330′N 87°37.5422′W / 41.8772167°N 87.6257033°W / 41.8772167; -87.6257033
Construction started March 1970[1]
Completed 1972[1]
Opening 1973
Height
Roof 600 ft (183 m)[1]
Technical details
Floor count 44
Floor area 1,299,990 sq ft (120,773 m2)
Design and construction
Architect Graham, Anderson, Probst & White

CNA Center is a 600-ft (183 m), 44-story high-rise building located at 333 South Wabash Avenue in the central business district of Chicago, Illinois.

Description

CNA Center is a simple, rectangular International Style building, but it is unique in that the entire building was painted bright red by Eagle Painting & Maintenance Company, Inc., turning an otherwise ordinary-looking structure into one of the most eye-catching buildings in the city. It was designed by the firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White and was completed in 1972.[1]

Occupants

As of 2014, CNA occupied 65 percent of the tower.[2] Other occupants included The Chicago Housing Authority and United Way.[2][3]

In December 2015, CNA announced it would sell the structure and relocate to a new facility at 151 North Franklin which would be renamed CNA Center. The company and developer, John Buck Co., expected the move to take place in summer 2018. As part of the transaction, Buck purchased the Wabash Street building for $108 million and would redevelop it.[4]

In August 2017, Buck and Northern Trust announced an agreement for the bank to lease 465,000 square feet (43,200 m2) of the building. The lease will consolidate approximately 2,500 to 3,000 Northern Trust workers from several sites around Chicago and take place in 2020.[5]

History

Originally known as Continental Center III, in reference to the original moniker of CNA Financial Corporation, Continental National American Group,[6] both CNA Center (formerly CNA Plaza) and the neighboring CNA Center North (Continental Center II, built in 1962) adjoined and were painted red. The shorter red building was later restored to its original gray tone in 1999.[7] The two buildings remain joined at the second floor: CNA's Conference Center uses space on that floor, but all entrance and egress to it is through CNA Center.

In 1999, a large fragment of a window fell from the building and killed a woman walking with her child. Windows had been cracking at the building ever since it had been built in 1975. CNA Financial, a property insurance company, later paid $18 million to settle the resultant lawsuit. All of the building's windows were replaced in an expensive retrofit.[8][9]

Lighted window messages

Chicago skyline with the CNA Center (far left) showing the Chicago Blackhawks' logo, the Smurfit-Stone Building saying Go Hawks and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower saying Hawks Win the night after the 2009–10 Chicago Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, viewed from the Petrillo Music Shell lawn in Grant Park

Utilizing a combination of lights on/off and 1,600 window blinds open/closed (and sometimes foamboard cutouts), the windows on CNA Center are often used to display lighted window messages, typically denoting holidays, remembrances, and other events denoting Chicago civic pride, such as when the Blackhawks played in and won the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals and when the Cubx made their 2016 World Series run. Building engineers use a computer program to plot which windows need to be lighted to create the proper message.[10][11]

Position in Chicago's skyline

311 South WackerWillis TowerChicago Board of Trade Building111 South WackerAT&T Corporate CenterKluczynski Federal BuildingCNA CenterChase TowerThree First National PlazaMid-Continental PlazaRichard J. Daley CenterChicago Title and Trust Center77 West WackerPittsfield BuildingLeo Burnett BuildingThe Heritage at Millennium ParkCrain Communications BuildingIBM PlazaOne Prudential PlazaTwo Prudential PlazaAon CenterBlue Cross and Blue Shield Tower340 on the ParkPark TowerOlympia Centre900 North MichiganJohn Hancock CenterWater Tower PlaceHarbor PointThe ParkshoreNorth Pier ApartmentsLake Point TowerJay Pritzker PavilionBuckingham FountainLake MichiganLake MichiganLake MichiganThe skyline of a city with many large skyscrapers; in the foreground are a green park and a lake with many sailboats moored on it. Over 30 of the skyscrapers and some park features are labeled.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 CNA Plaza on Emporis.com
  2. 1 2 Daniels, Steve (March 24, 2014). "Why jobs and revenue are going opposite directions at CNA". Crain's Chicago Business.
  3. ↑ Tekippe, Abraham (December 14, 2012). "United Way moving to CNA Center". Crain's Chicago Business.
  4. ↑ Ori, Ryan (December 16, 2015). "CNA selling 'Big Red,' moving HQ to new office tower". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  5. ↑ Ori, Robert (August 9, 2017). "CNA building gets new tenant — and maybe a new name — as Northern Trust signs deal". Chicago Tribune.
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  7. ↑ "CNA Plaza North". Emporis. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  8. ↑ Chicago Architecture Info CNA Center Accessed July 13, 2014
  9. ↑ Kiernan, Louise (February 14, 2002). "CNA window death settled for $18 million". Chicago Tribune.
  10. ↑ Ecker, Danny (June 12, 2013). "Chicago buildings showing Blackhawks pride during Final". Crain'S Chicago Business. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  11. ↑ Rumore, Kori; Berlin, Jonathon (October 27, 2016). "How Chicago's iconic buildings light up for the Cubs". Chicago Tribune.
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