Continental Commercial National Bank
Life Span: 1911-Present
Location:
Architect:
Excerpted from Chicago Tribune, January 15, 1911
The Continental Commercial National bank plans the erection of what is said will be the largest bank and office building in the world. It will cover the entire block bounced by LaSalle, Adams, Quincy streets, and Fifth avenue, and will represent an investment of approximately $10,000,000.
The building will have a ground area of 53,559 square feet, practically one and a quarter acres, will be at least twenty stories high, with a frontage of 165 feet on LaSalle street and Fifth avenue, 324.66 on Adams and Quincy streets and will cost $6,750,000.
An idea of its true magnitude may be gathering from the fact that including the space including the elevators, vaults, etc., it will have a total floor area of over twenty-five and a half acres.
Another interesting feature of the transaction is the large cost involved in the destruction of the buildings now ion the land in order to make way for the proposed new structure. These comprise the old Continental National Bank building, fronting 165 feet on LaSalle street and 60 on Adams street; the Rand McNally building at 162-172 Adams street, and the McCormick building at Fifth avenue, Adams, and Quincy streets, all of which will approximate $1,000,000 in value.
The Rand McNally Building (1889-1911), in Chicago, was designed by Burnham and Root. The first Z-bar steel columns, invented by Charles L. Strobel, were used in this building; it was the first building of all-steel skeleton construction; and was the first building to use all terra cotta facades on the street fronts.
The building was located at 160-174 Adams Street (on the south side between LaSalle and Wells) and also fronted 105-119 on the backside (Quincy Street). It was erected in 1889 at a cost of $1 million. It had 10 stories, 16 stores, and 300 offices, but the main tenant was Rand, McNally & Co., printers and publishers, with 900 employees.
This building is where the World’s Fair headquarters are located. If so, you will find this to be one of the most magnificent structures in the world. The publishing and printing house of Rand, McNally & Co. started in 1856, since which date the remai’kable growth of its map and book-publishing business has necessitated several removals and enlargements of qusrters. Every time it has shortly found itself cramped for room, until the recent removal into the new building, 162 to 174 Adams St., which makes ample provisions for future expansion. This building is a model in size, convenience and durability, and absolutely fire-proof. It has ten stories and a basement, with a frontage of 150 feet on Adams st , extending back 166 feet to Quincy st. The framework is entirely of steel, the two fronts are fire-proofed with dark-red terra-cotta. in handsome designs, and the interior is fire-proofed with hard-burnt fire-clay, no part of the steel being exposed. In the center of the building is left a court 60×66 feet, having its outer walls faced with English white enamelled bricks. Owing partly to its great size, and partly to the fact that it is the first steel building in Chicago, besides being probably the largest and most complete building ever erected exclusively for the printing and publishing business, it is exciting a great deal of interest. Burnham & Root were the architects. The following facts concerning it illustrate in a striking manner the vastness and solidity of a modern commercial building. It contains 15 miles of steel-railway-65-pound rails in the foundation, besides the 12-inch and 20-inch steel beams. There are 13 miles of 15-inch steel beams and channels, 2½ miles of ties and angles in the roof; 7 miles of tie rods; 10 miles of Z steel in the columns ; 12 miles of steam-pipe ; 350,000 rivets and bolt ; 7 acres of floors ; the boards of which would reach 250 miles were they laid end to end. The foundations contain 1,060 tons of steel, while the beams, etc., will weigh 2,000 tons, and the columns 700 tons; making a total of 3,7 tons of steel in this giant structure. The oflices of the various departments of the Columbian Exposition are accessible by elevator. Just now everybody from the Director General down is very busy, but that need not prevent you from looking around. They will answer your questions civilly—everybody is civil in Chicago-but don’t ask too many at present.
The general offices of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway were located here on the 2nd and 3rd floors, as were the headquarters of the World’s Columbian Exposition, on the 4th and 5th. The Long Distance Telephone Company (Quincy Street side) allowed patrons the ability to telephone New York City, a novelty at the time.
It was torn down in 1911 and the JW Marriott (City National Bank, Continental Bank Building, 208 South LaSalle), building replaced it at 208 S. LaSalle in 1912. This building still stands.
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