River North in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

IBM Building

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, architect; C.F. Murphy Associates, engineers; 1969-72

— Chicago Landmark —

IBM Building Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Sean Flynn

1. IBM Building Marker

Inscription. This metal-and-glass skyscraper was built to house the Chicago offices of the IBM Corporation, one of the nation's premier companies. It was the last American building designed by Mies van der Rohe, one of the most internationally-significant architects of the twentieth century. The building is an archetypal example of his elegantly-detailed International Style skyscrapers with its prismatic massing, sleek curtain wall with welded I-beams, and glass-enclosed lobby. The building was sited so as to not obstruct views from neighboring Marina City.

Erected by Commission on Chicago Landmarks; City of Chicago.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. In addition, it is included in the Illinois, Chicago Landmarks Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1969.

Location. 41° 53.295′ N, 87° 37.669′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in River North. Marker is on State Street south of Kinzie Street, on the left when traveling south. The marker is affixed to the metal fence in front of the IBM Building, near its southwest corner on State Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 330 North Wabash, Chicago IL 60654, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Marina City (within shouting distance of this marker);

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Trail Blazer (within shouting distance of this marker); Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker); Bataan- Corregidor Memorial Bridge (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chicago Remembers (about 400 feet away); Chicago's First Movable Bridge (about 400 feet away); Viet Nam Memorial (about 400 feet away); South Water Street (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. While the marker notes the building's designation in 2008 as a Chicago Landmark, based on Google Maps Street View the marker was not placed in its current location until either late 2017 or early 2018. It is not known if this marker (or a duplicate) was previously located somewhere else.

Regarding IBM Building. The IBM Building (now known as AMA Plaza, after its current tenant the American Medical Association) was less than 40 years old when it was declared a Chicago Landmark in 2008, making it the youngest building ever to receive that designation. It was

Photographed By Sean Flynn, January 31, 2024

2. IBM Building Marker

The marker is on the building's western side, along State Street.

added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe came to Chicago in the 1930s after leaving Nazi Germany, which opposed modernism, and took a position leading the architecture school at what is now known as the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago. Van der Rohe's works in Chicago include Federal Plaza, about ¾ of a mile south of this marker; the 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments, about a mile north; and Crown Hall on the IIT campus in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the south side.

The IBM Building, which was completed after he died in 1969, is 695 feet and 52 stories tall, making it his second tallest building, behind only the Toronto Dominion Centre in Canada. IBM sold the building in 1996 and had completely moved out of it by 2006. Its major tenants today include the AMA and a Langham Hotel.

Photographed By Sean Flynn, January 31, 2024

3. IBM Building Marker

A southeast-facing view of the marker shows the Tiny Happy Man's Statues, a sculpture of businesspeople holding umbrellas. The south bank of the Chicago River is in the far background.

IBM Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Sean Flynn, March 6, 2024

4. IBM Building

In this late-afternoon photo from 26 stories up, the IBM Building sits in the shadow of the Marina City towers.

Photographed By Sean Flynn

5. AMA Plaza

The building originally known as the IBM Building is in the middle of this photo taken from across the Chicago River; the 98-story Trump International Hotel and Tower is on the right, and the eastern of the two towers of Marina City is on the left.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) image. Click for full size.

New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection (Library of Congress), circa 1958

6. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 31, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 58 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 31, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 4. submitted on March 12, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 5, 6. submitted on January 31, 2024, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.