77 West Wacker Drive, also known as the United Building[1], is an office building in Chicago. Finished in 1992, the building rises to a height of 668 ft (204 m) with 959,719 square feet (89,152 square meter) of interior space. Although only 49 floors, the building skips the 49th floor so that it can claim its top level is at the 50th. It was formerly known as the RR Donnelley Building when the RR Donnelley printing company was the primary tenant. However, RR Donnelley moved their corporate headquarters to a different location in May 2005, and in 2007 the building became the corporate headquarters of United Airlines.
The exterior of the tower, designed by architect Ricardo Bofill, is clad in Portuguese white granite pilasters with silver reflective glass and stainless steel mullions. At night, 540 lamps light the building and its surroundings. Allegedly, the metal roof was painted green because they didn't want to wait for the copper to patina naturally.citation needed
The interior is similarly styled. The classical Greek style is repeated inside, with Thassos marble walls and a 40 ft (12 m) tall coffered ceiling made of white oak wood.
A sculpture by Xavier Corbero called “Three Lawyers and A Judge” graces the building, as does Antoni Tapies' artwork called “Big Eyelids.” Bofill further contributed by creating a sculpture entitled “Twisted Columns” which appears to float above a reflecting pool.
This is the World Headquarters of Chicago-based United Airlines. The deal included naming rights to the building.[2] Microsoft is a major tenant in the building, occupying multiple floors.[3]
The building was used as a filming location for the 1998 film The Negotiator. [4]
Position in skyline
See also
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