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

Crown Hall

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, architect; 1950–56

— Chicago Landmark —

Crown Hall Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025

1. Crown Hall Marker

Inscription. This defining structure of 20th-century architecture is one of the masterpieces of this world reknowned architect. Designed to house the Illinois Institute of Technology's departments of architecture, planning, and design, the building's dramatic form results in an open interior space adaptable for changing needs and uses. Instead of interior columns, the roof is hung from exposed steel trusses bridging the depth of the building. It was named for S. R. Crown, a co-founder of the Material Service Corporation.

Designated on October 1, 1997
Richard M. Daley, Mayor

Erected by Commission on Chicago Landmarks; City of Chicago.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education. In addition, it is included in the Illinois, Chicago Landmarks Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1950.

Location. 41° 49.968′ N, 87° 37.629′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Bronzeville. It can be reached from South State Street 0.1 miles north of 35th Street, on the right when traveling south. The marker is embedded in the grass just to the right of the south entrance to Crown Hall on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology. Touch for map.

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Marker is at or near this postal address: 3360 South State Street, Chicago IL 60616, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: S.R. Crown Hall (here, next to this marker); State Street (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Welcome to Bronzeville (about 600 feet away); William J. Otterson (about 700 feet away); John Walter Humphrey (about 700 feet away); Edward Lee (about 700 feet away); Joseph Sanford (about 700 feet away); Hymes Taylor (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. Another marker is immediately next to this one, identifying Crown Hall as a National Historic Landmark.

Also see . . .
1. Chicago Architecture Center: Crown Hall.

Excerpt: "Crown Hall was not among the first buildings Mies built at IIT, but it is widely regarded as the clearest expression of his ideas:

• The suspended roof, without interior columns, created universal space that could be endlessly adapted to new uses.

• His use of off-the-shelf components, including standard glass panes and steel I-beams, made the building economical to construct.

• Carefully-proportioned, repetitive elements of the exterior convey both uniformity and precision of construction.

• The design is
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025

2. Crown Hall
The marker is embedded in the grass just to the right of the entrance into Crown Hall.
seemingly simple. Mies once described the building as “almost nothing.”

(Submitted on April 14, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. IIT College of Architecture: History & Legacy.

Excerpt: "Within a year of Mies’s arrival, he was commissioned to design an innovative master plan for the IIT campus. The result was chosen as one of the top 200 architectural achievements in the United States. Mies conceived the showpiece of the campus, S. R. Crown Hall, as the ideal home for the study of architecture. The building became a National Historic Landmark in 2001. Because of IIT’s commitment to maintaining, renewing, and renovating its historic Main Campus, which houses the largest collection of Mies buildings anywhere, the university’s academic campus was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005."

(Submitted on April 14, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Crown Hall markers image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025

3. Crown Hall markers

Two markers are embedded in the grass near the south entrance to Crown Hall, one related to its 1997 designation as a Chicago Landmark and the other denoting its designation as a National Historic Landmark in 2001.

View of Crown Hall from across State Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025

4. View of Crown Hall from across State Street

Credits. This page was last revised on April 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 14, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 147 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 14, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.