A White Elephant Getting New Colors
The Thompson Centre, also known as the State of Illinois Building, was designed by Helmut Jahn in the 80s. This postmodernist’s dream of wild fantasy soared to 17 stories in 1985. Thanks to some cost-cutting builders, it quickly became the bane of the existence of every state employee who worked in the building. It cost the state hundreds of millions in deferred maintenance. A red, blue and white elephant was loose in Chicago.
The glass exterior encircles an atrium with a distant, skylit ceiling, and as it rears up in its glory, the building’s feet hide a subterranean food court and a CTA line transfer hub. This Sbarro, as it is termed, offers a public space with free Wi-Fi and restrooms. At the entrance, the sculpture by Jean Dubuffet, affectionately known as “Snoopy in a Blender,” offers a complementary postmodern perspective to visitors; the calf at foot. It has since been moved to another location, but the sprawling behemoth with the outer glass-curtain facade remains.
Helmut Jahn’s design in salmon-red steel and sky-blue glass creates a protected haven from the bustling outside world. With its vaulted skylit ceiling and internal stairways, it presents a microcosm of city life in whimsical pastel flavors.
Fast-forward to 2021. The white elephant’s fate has been debated extensively. The arguments went back and forth. Should such an animal still exist? Did it belong in Chicago? What was to be done with it? Suggestions and proposals proliferated like flies, buzzing around its head. And then Google bought the building from the State, planning to renovate it.
Certainly, all agreed that Google has enough money to carry out the necessary improvements. But there was (and still is) the lingering question: will Google’s corporate makeover flush out the soul of the beast? With its slick, minimalist Silicon Valley roots, will Google redefine (and recolor) the wild white elephant that has been the center of so much controversy?
One thing is certain: this move represents a rejuvenation of the downtown area and offers a new opportunity for growth and economic development, an exciting prospect for all.
