{"nrhp_refnum":"09000166","name":"IBM Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"330 N. Wabash","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.89071557200003,"lon":-87.62765561999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2010-03-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 52-story, 670-foot steel-frame and glass curtain wall office tower at 330 N. Wabash Avenue in the River North area of Chicago, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and built 1969-1972 for IBM's mid-west regional offices.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant under Criterion C for architecture as the work of master architect Mies van der Rohe, as an example of the International style and Miesian form. It is described as the culmination of Mies's philosophy. Because it is under 50 years old (Criteria Consideration G), exceptional significance is claimed.","narrative":"Rising 670 feet over the Chicago River in the River North area, this 52-story office tower at 330 N. Wabash Avenue was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and built between 1969 and 1972. It originally housed IBM's mid-west regional offices on twenty floors, with speculative office space above. Its bronze-toned steel frame is expressed on the exterior through vertical I-beams attached to window mullions, while the ground floor is set back behind exposed piers, forming an arcade around a glass-walled lobby with pink glass mosaic ceiling tiles. A granite plaza surrounds the base. The building is described as an archetypal example of the International style and the Miesian form, reflecting simplicity, restraint and the absence of ornament. It was listed for its architectural importance as the work of a master. Although tenant spaces have been altered over time, the exterior curtain wall, lobby enclosure, aluminum-clad columns and canopy remain.","period_of_significance":"1969-1972","architect_builder":"Ludwig Mies van der Rohe","architectural_style":"Modern Period: International Style: Miesian","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still an office building; alterations are limited mostly to interior tenant upgrades, and the exterior curtain wall, glass lobby envelope, aluminum-clad columns, canopy and original lobby materials are retained.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.600508-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/82/8923/28892382/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/09000166.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000166/3ea00f8080-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000166/3ea00f8080-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Ildar Sagdejev (Specious)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2003-08-23_View_from_Michigan_Ave_bridge_in_Chicago.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ildar Sagdejev (Specious)</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2003-08-23_View_from_Michigan_Ave_bridge_in_Chicago.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892382","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMA_Plaza","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q225731"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/ibm-building-09000166/"}