Walk a couple blocks north on Dearborn to Monroe, and on the northeast corner is the landmark Inland Steel Building. Built in 1957, this structure is hailed as Chicago's entry into modern architecture after World War II. It also has the distinction of being the first skyscraper to be built in Chicago after the Great Depression some 20 plus years earlier.
Appropriate given that it was built as the headquarters for a steel company, the outside has distinct brushed steel cladding. The building itself is made up of two different parts -- the tower closest to Dearborn houses office space, while the tower to the east contains all elevators and utilities. This design allowed the office building to be supported only by exterior columns, allowing the office space to be completely open to accommodate any floor plan desired by the tenant.
Check this out: The thin horizontal steel strip that splits the lower third of the window isn't just decorative -- it was put in place to help ease the jarring effect of a solid floor-to-ceiling pane of glass that gave one a feeling they could fall out. "Form follows function" triumphs again.
