| Address | 68 E. Wacker Place, Chicago, IL |
|---|---|
| Built | 1928 |
| Architect | Holabird & RootJohn A. Holabird; John Wellborn Root, Jr. |
| Status | Designated Chicago Landmark |
| Designation Date | May 9, 2012 (Final)City Council Journal of the Proceedings |
| Neighborhood | Loop |
| Type | Office and commercial building |
| Landmark ID | L-312 |
Interior spaces protected by this designation
- All exterior elevations, including rooflines, of the building; and the first-floor building lobby in its entirety, including but not limited to, the vestibule, mezzanines, and alcoves, including but not limited to, the overall spatial volume; staircases, all decorative wall, floor, ceiling materials, light fixtures, finishes, ornamentation, and other decorative features including the mural entitled, United States Map (1928).
Chicago Motor Club Building, Preliminary Summary of Information, p. 39.
Direct quotes from the Chicago Landmark Designation Report
“The Chicago Motor Club Building exhibits fine craftsmanship and detailing in materials, including gray limestone, granite, and cast-metal. The Chicago Motor Club Building's exceptionally fine exterior ornament includes a highly-decorative and dramatic cast-iron surround that frames the building's main entrance with a plethora of Art Deco-style ornament, including stylized flowers and plants, flowing fountains of water, zigzags and swirls; other exterior ornament includes a finely-carved Chicago Motor Club insignia, and low-relief swirls, sunbursts, geometric patterns and stylized birds found at the building's corners, in spandrels, and along the rooftop parapet.”
“Renowned Chicago architects Holabird & Root designed the Chicago Motor Club Building; one of Chicago's most significant architectural firms of the twentieth century, Holabird & Root designed several of the City's iconic 1920s skyscrapers.”
“During this time, the Club maintained a unique identity separate and apart from the national organization as it expanded its focus on legislative matters. In an effort to secure cooperation at the city and county level for building improved highways and to establish a system of "trunk lines" leading into and out of Chicago, the Chicago Motor Club united auto dealers, motor clubs, athletic clubs, the Chicago Chamber of Commerce, and the Chicago Automobile Trade Association into an organization called the Associated Roads Organization of Chicago and Cook County.”
“The Chicago Motor Club Building is designed in the Art Deco architectural style, popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Due to its relatively small size for a late 1920s skyscraper, the 15- story Chicago Motor Club Building was not required to have upper-level setbacks as mandated under Chicago's pioneering 1923 zoning ordinance for taller buildings; and as a consequence, the building rises into the sky with a great sense of verticality.”
“Milwaukee and Archer avenues were the first roads to be improved as a result of the campaign launched by the new Association. The club achieved another early important step in raising awareness of road conditions when Illinois Gov.”
“United States Map (1928) Above the elevators is a large-scale mural, entitled United States Map (1928), by important Chicago artist John Warner Norton. In its celebration of the American road trip, Norton's United States Map exemplifies the function of the Chicago Motor Club's travel bureau and is an integral feature of the building's elegant Art Deco lobby.”
“All of these finely-wrought details convey a sense of luxury, modernity, and sophistication of this exciting era in the evolution of the automobile age. MOTORING IN CHICAGO As a national transportation hub and a merchandising center, Chicago played an important early role in the promotion of the automobile and the construction of safe and efficient roads in the United States.”
“According to Club President Charles Hayes, the building would be built to the designs of Holabird & Root in a manner befitting of its prominent location off Michigan Boulevard.”
“The club, now known as the AAA-Chicago Motor Club, continues to serve motorists as a local branch of this important national organization. AAA was established in Chicago in 1902 through a union of nine motor clubs.”
What other designation reports say about this building
“Jackson Blvd. (1930), the Chicago Motor Club Building at 68 E. Wacker Pl. (1928), the Veseman Building at 442-444 N. LaSalle St. (façade, 1930), and the Union Park Hotel at 1519 W. Warren Blvd.”