Thompson Center/ State of Illinois Building

When this building first opened in May 1985 it was called the State of Illinois Center. In 1993 it was renamed in honor of former Illinois Governor James R. Thompson. It was designed by architect Helmut Jahn and is located in downtown Chicago and spans an entire city block bordered by Randolph, Lake, Clark and Lasalle streets and the building is 1.2 million square feet. It definitely has a unique architectural style and has been described as both outrageous and beautiful. It has 17 floors and an open interior middle with an atrium where you can see all the floors. This open floor plan was supposed to symbolize open government. The building was not designed with practicality in mind, as can be seen when summer indoor temperatures have reached 90 degrees and winter temperatures are bitterly cold. I’ve personally experienced being rained on while eating in the food court area! In front of the Thompson Center (in the plaza) is a sculpture called “Monument With Standing Beast” by Jean Dubuffet.

Tenants of the building include State of Illinois offices and facilities including a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) facility as well as stores and businesses such as Walgreen’s and Supercuts. The building is also a transportation hub, with access to the Clark/Lake “L” station where numerous train lines stop. The Chicago Pedway is also accessible from the building. And best of all, there is a really nice food court on the main level of the building, with restaurants such as Ronny’s Steakhouse, M Burger, Panda, Arby’s, Sbarro, Marcello’s, New Orleans Kitchen and many more. I recently tried Marcello’s and it was excellent! It’s a take-out buffet and deli. They give you a container that you can fill with any items from their buffet (as much as you can fit in there) for $9.99. This building is definitely worth visiting!