Grant Thornton Tower

For the company's former headquarters, the Chicago Title & Trust Building, see Burnham Center.

Grant Thornton Tower (formerly Chicago Title & Trust Center, 161 North Clark and sometimes Chicago Title Tower^[1]) is an office tower located in Chicago designed by the firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. Before completion in 1990 the twin tower design was awarded The Chicago Athenaeum's "Best Building" Architecture Award, the award was received by one of the lead designers Kevin Flanagan. (view PLP Architects). The fifty-storey building rises 756 feet (230 m) in the Loop and was completed in 1992, on the site of Chicago's Greyhound Bus Station.^[2] Previously, a structure at 111 West Washington was known as the Chicago Title & Trust Building. After CT&T moved to the new tower in 1992, its former home became known as the Burnham Center.^[3]

Grant Thornton Tower
Grant Thornton Tower as seen from the west
Location within Chicago metropolitan area Show map of Chicago metropolitan area Grant Thornton Tower (Illinois) Show map of Illinois Grant Thornton Tower (the United States) Show map of the United States
General information
Type	Office
Location	171 N. Clark St. Chicago, Illinois  United States
Coordinates	41°53′05″N 87°37′50″W
Construction started	1990
Completed	1992
Height
Antenna spire	756 ft (230 m)
Technical details
Floor count	50
Lifts/elevators	23
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
Structural engineer	Severud Associates

One of the tower's most notable features is its eastern-facing slanted roof at upper levels. At night, the top of the building facing east and west is flooded with light, creating a memorable presence on the Chicago skyline.

The building was originally intended to have a twin at 181 N. Clark Street, but the plan has been dropped twice: initially, after the completion of the first tower, and then a second time in 2001 after the 9/11 terror attacks.^[2] A multi-level parking structure currently occupies the space where the north tower may someday be constructed.

It has a basement-level pedway connection westward to the south-east corner of the James R. Thompson Center's food court.

As initial tenant CT&T reduced its presence in the building, it became known by its address (161 North Clark). In 2012, Grant Thornton International acquired the naming rights to the building for its 2015 lease.^[4] The official address has moved as Grant Thornton's official address is Grant Thornton Tower, 171 North Clark, Suite 200, Chicago, Illinois, 60601 according to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings.^[5]

Tenants

• Accenture^[6]
• Bryan Cave^[7]
• GE Capital Rail Services^[7]

Position in Chicago's skyline

See also

• List of skyscrapers
• List of tallest buildings in the United States
• List of tallest buildings in Chicago
• World's tallest structures

References

1. Glass Steel And Stone Archived 2012-06-19 at the Wayback Machine
2. Emporis Listing^[usurped]
3. "The Burnham Center". Archived from the original on 2014-10-25. Retrieved 2011-04-12.
4. Ori, Ryan (2012-11-28). "Grant Thornton gets naming rights in HQ move to former Chicago Title tower". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
5. "Registration Statement No. 333-203147". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
6. "Accenture Office Directory". Archived from the original on 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2012-09-28.
7. "Chicago's 161 North Clark Office Tower Signs Over 300,000 Square Feet of Leases". Archived from the original on 2013-10-13. Retrieved 2012-09-28.