Crain Communications Building

The Crain Communications Building is a Postmodernist skyscraper designed by A.Epstein and Sons International, with Sheldon Schlegman as lead architect, and built between 1982 and 1984 in Chicago, IL.

Crain Communications Building is not the only name you might know this building by though. It is common for companies to want to attach their names to iconic buildings when they move in, or for the general public to come up with nicknames, and this one is no exception. The building has changed names several times over the years, and is also known as:

• 150 North Michigan Avenue from 1984 until this day.
• Associates Center between 1984 and 1990.
• Smurfit-Stone Building between 1990 and 2012.
• Stone Container Building between 1990 and 2012.
• Crain Communications Building from 2012 until this day.

Its precise street address is 150 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL. You can also find it on the map here.

A.Epstein and Sons International, with Sheldon Schlegman as the lead architect, was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design.

That being said, architecture is a complex discipline involving many professionals from different fields, without whom this building would have not been possible. We will surely be leaving out a lot of names here, but here is a list of the people we do know also played their part in making the Crain Communications Building a reality:

• A. Epstein and Sons International in charge of Structural Engineering
• Schal Associates, Inc. as the Main Contractor
• Collins Tuttle & Company as the Main Developer

The Crain Communications Building can be categorized as a Postmodernist building.

The Crain Communications Building was completed in 1984. At that time Postmodernism was the prevailing style. Fresh, bold and daring, architects were exploring the freedom of designing without having to follow the strict, sometimes arbitrary rules of a specific architectural movement (which ironically became a movement itself). The Crain Communications Building was therefore every much in line with what the architecture community, and the people liked and wanted at the time.

The Crain Communications Building uses a frame structure made of reinforced concrete columns and beams.

A frame structure uses a combination of beams and columns to sustain the building's weight. The walls in this case are non-load bearing, which allows for more flexibility when distributing the interior spaces.

The facade uses a non-load bearing curtain wall system. This means the curtain wall modules are anchored to the building's structural frame, typically by being attached to the edge of the floor slabs. The curtain wall system connects to the slabs using brackets, anchors, and mullions, which transfer the loads imposed by wind and temperature changes, to the building's primary structural elements.

This setup allows the curtain wall to accommodate differential movement between the facade and the structural frame, such as thermal expansion, floor deflection, or sway from wind forces. This system's integration with the slab edges also allows for continuous insulation and weatherproofing layers.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features alternating horizontal bands of white aluminum, stainless steel, and silver reflective glass. 

Its crown stands out due to the diamond-shaped cut and the diagonal division that runs through the entire building from the first floor, making it appear split in half. The separation at the top houses mechanical equipment.