Originally known as Chicago’s Municipal Court Building (aka The Lake View Building), the structure was designed by Jenney, Mundie & Jensen and built in 1906 at twelve stories high, on caissons. Five additional stories and a vaulted lobby ceiling were added in 1912 in a bid to attract new tenants. The building was renamed the 116 S. Michigan Avenue Building and converted for modern first-class office space in 1986. Extensive rehabilitation brought the building back to its original turn-of-the-century grandeur, with complete restoration of the ornately decorated marble lobby and two wrought iron staircases. Other major improvements include new high speed passenger elevators, a new freight elevator, new bathrooms for each floor, thermopane windows, a new energy efficient HVAC system, and upgraded electrical and plumbing systems. On the facade of the narrow, glazed terra cotta building, two new columns are placed to visually support the structure and relate it to the existing streetscape, while a new store front and entry are detailed in a manner sympathetic to the original construction.
National Register of Historic Places
