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General Information

Other name(s): R.R. Donnelley and Sons Co. Calumet Plant; Calumet Plant; Lakeside Plant
Beginning of works: 1912
Completion: 1929
Status: in use

Project Type

Function / usage: original use:
Printing plant
current use:
Office building
Material: Reinforced concrete structure
Architectural style: Neo-Gothic

Awards and Distinctions

Location

Location: , , ,
Address: 350 East Cermak Road
Coordinates: 41° 51' 11.67" N    87° 37' 10.33" W
Show coordinates on a map

Technical Information

Dimensions

tower number of floors (above ground) 14

Materials

building structure reinforced concrete

Excerpt from Wikipedia

The R.R Donnelley Printing Plant, sometimes known as the Calumet Plant or the Lakeside Plant and now known as the Lakeside Technology Center, was built between 1912 and 1929 to house the operations of the RR Donnelley printing company. In 1993, the plant was closed after the discontinuation by Sears, Roebuck and Co. of its mail-order catalog, which had been the last major account printed there. In 1999 the building was retrofitted and is currently owned by Digital Realty Trust operating as a carrier hotel and data center. The newly outfitted building was the first and largest planned carrier hotel in the United States.

The building was designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw to be a fireproof design of poured reinforced concrete columns and an open-shell concrete floor. Although considered to be expensive by the standards of that time, T.E. Donnelley agreed that the support would be needed for the many tons of paper they used and large presses they operated. Supported by 4,675 steel-reinforced concrete columns, this type of construction not only served the Donnelley well, it also provided the perfect infrastructure for future tenants. To further the building's support structure, reinforcing bars, normally laid perpendicular, were laid at various angles enabling the floors to bear loads of at least 250 pounds per square foot.

Current major tenants of the building include the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Telx, Equinix, Steadfast Networks and CenturyLink.

Exterior ornaments depict symbols of printing history. Portions of the building, including the interior Memorial Library, were designed by architect Charles Klauder.

Text imported from Wikipedia article "R.R. Donnelley and Sons Co. Calumet Plant" and modified on 12 June 2023 according to the CC-BY-SA 3.0 license.

 

Participants

Architecture

Relevant Web Sites

  • About this
    data sheet
  • Structure-ID
    20040307
  • Published on:
    03/11/2008
  • Last updated on:
    26/05/2023
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