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McCormick Place
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
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McCormick Place is an enormous exposition complex located in Chicago, Illinois. Made up of three (soon to be four) interconnected buildings, it is the largest convention center in the United States, and the third largest in the world.
The original building was erected in 1960 and was named for the late newspaper magnate Robert R. McCormick, who had championed the project although he did not live to see its realization. The gleaming white building burned down in 1967, a shocking event as it was largely steel and concrete and was thought to be fireproof. However, the exhibits at the time were highly flammable and there were inadequate sprinklers and hydrants, thus the fire spread quickly and destructively, taking the life of a security guard in the process.
Although there was popular support to rebuild the hall on a different site, Richard J. Daley elected to use the same site. On January 3, 1971, the replacement building, later called the East Building and now called the Lakeside Center, opened with a main exhibition hall that is 300,000 ft² (28,000 m²). The portion of the old structure that had been relatively undamaged was incorporated into the interior of the much-larger new building, which was constructed largely of dark steel and glass, a significant contrast to the look of the original structure. The building also contains the Arie Crown Theatre, the second largest theatre (by seating capacity) in Chicago.
The North Building, located across Lake Shore Drive, is connected to the East Building by an enclosed pedestrian bridge. The North Building was built in 1986. In contrast to the dark, flat profile of the East Building, the North Building is white (as the original building was), with twelve concrete pylons on the roof which support the roof using 72 cables. The HVAC system for the building is incorporated into the pylons, which give the building the appearance of a rigged sailing ship.
The South Building, the most recently completed, opened in 1997 and contains more than one million square feet (93,000 m²) of exhibition space. When it opened, it more than doubled the space in the complex.
A more modern Northwest complex that will expand the amount of available architect is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in 2008. Though the campus appears complete, the drawing board is still open to new ideas.