Cook County Administration Building

Skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois

Cook County Administration Building

The Cook County Administration Building (formerly known as the Brunswick Building) is a skyscraper located at 69 West Washington Street in Chicago, Illinois.[1][2] The building, constructed between the years 1962 and 1964, is 475 ft (144.8 m) tall, and contains 35 floors.[1] It has a concrete structure.[1] The building, engineered by Fazlur Khan of the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is notable for innovating the tube-within-a-tube structural system.[2]

Originally a corporate office building, the tower was later acquired by the Cook County government and now holds county government offices and courtrooms.[2]

## Design and construction

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Interior

The building, was constructed between the years 1962 and 1964, and utilizes a concrete structure.[1] At the time of its construction, it was Chicago's tallest concrete office building.[2] The building is designed with an exposed structure and adheres to the modernist architecture style.[2] The building utilizes a deep foundation system.[2]

This was the first building to utilize the shear wall frame interaction system conceptualized by its engineer, Fazlur Khan of the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.[3] Kahn adapted the tube system he had innovated with the design of The Plaza on DeWitt by creating a tube-within-a-tube, with both the building's core and its perimeter being hollow and rigid tubes that support the tower, allowing for column-free interior space.[2]

At its lower portion, the façade of the tower juts back slightly in a curve.[2]

The building is connected to the Chicago Pedway system, with the Pedway featuring retail spaces in the area where it passes beneath the tower.[2] An underground Chicago Pedway passage connects the building to the Richard J. Daley Center across the street.[2]

The building has a small plaza featuring an untitled sculpture by Joan Miró.[2]

## Fire

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The Cook County Administration Building saw a structural fire occur on the 12th floor of the building on October 17, 2003.[4][5][6]

The fire was started in a supply room[7] by a faulty light fixture and resulted in the deaths of six people.[8][9] The City of Chicago, in addition to several other defendants, paid $100 million to the families of the six victims after litigation,[10] citing multiple failures.

## References

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1. ^ a b c d "Cook County Administration Building - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Cook County Administration Building". Emporis. Archived from the original on May 14, 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2021.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
3. ^ "Major Works - Fazlur Khan - Structural Artist of Urban Building Forms". Khan.princeton.edu. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
4. ^ "Fire".
5. ^ "govinfo". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
6. ^ "14 Years After 69 West Washington—Fire Reforms Are Still Incomplete". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
7. ^ Institute, Fire Service. "LibGuides: Significant Illinois Fires: Cook County Administration Building Fire". guides.library.illinois.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
8. ^ Mickey Ciokajlo; Sabrina L. Miller; Robert Becker; John Chase; Grace Aduroja; Manya Brachear. "6 die in Loop blaze". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
9. ^ Davey, Monica (2003-10-19). "Smoke and Panic on Stairs In Chicago High-Rise Fire". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
10. ^ Michael Higgins; Dan Mihalopoulos. "Fire lawsuits settled for $100 million". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2021-03-07.

41°52′59″N 87°37′48″W﻿ / ﻿41.88306°N 87.63000°W﻿ / 41.88306; -87.63000

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Government of Cook County, Illinois

Elected executive offices|

* Assessor
* Clerk
* Coroner (defunct)
* Recorder of Deeds (defunct)
* Sheriff
* State's Attorney
* Treasurer

Board of Commissioners|

* President
* 1st district
* 2nd district
* 3rd district
* 4th district
* 5th district
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* 8th district
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* 11th district
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* 14th district
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Board of Review|

* 1st district
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Other|

* Circuit Court (Clerk)
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Elections|

* 1946
* 1980 (State's Attorney)
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* 2016
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* 2024

Buildings and facilities|

* City Hall-County Building
* Cook County Administration Building
* Cook County Jail
* Provident Hospital
* John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County

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