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--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <--
0:00 · Love it or hate it, this building is a
0:02 · Chicago icon. This is the James R.
0:05 · Thompson Center in Chicago's Loop.
0:07 · Considered by many to be a masterpiece
0:09 · of postmodern architecture, the building
0:11 · was put up for sale a decade ago, and
0:14 · many thought it was bound for
0:15 · demolition. But now, the Thompson Center
0:18 · is undergoing a massive $280 million
0:21 · renovation in preparation for an
0:23 · unlikely new tenant. Let's take a look
0:26 · at the rebirth of an icon, Chicago's
0:29 · Thompson Center.
0:31 · [Music]
0:34 · In the 1970s, local leaders were looking
0:36 · for ways to inject life into the Loop,
0:39 · Chicago's declining downtown
0:40 · neighborhood. They put into action a
0:42 · redevelopment plan, which called for a
0:44 · new building for the Illinois state
0:46 · government. At the time, over 50 state
0:49 · agencies were housed in various offices
0:51 · around the city. The new building would
0:53 · consolidate them under one roof. And
0:56 · when Governor James R. Thompson was
0:58 · elected, he doubled down on the project,
1:00 · hiring the upand cominging architect
1:02 · Helmet Yan to design the building. Jan
1:05 · was German and moved to Chicago to study
1:08 · at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
1:10 · While still early in his career, Jan had
1:13 · already made key contributions to the
1:14 · Chicago cityscape with projects like the
1:17 · Xerox Center, One South Wacker, and the
1:20 · addition to the Chicago Board of Trade.
1:23 · But his proposal for the new state of
1:24 · Illinois center would be perhaps his
1:26 · most daring yet, fully breaking the mold
1:29 · of Chicago modernist architecture with a
1:32 · dazzling postmodernist design.
1:34 · Postmodernism is a style that emerged in
1:37 · the 1960s that assued the teachings of
1:39 · modernism, the stark and functional
1:41 · style that dominated the midentury.
1:44 · Postmodernism in contrast embraced more
1:47 · playful, colorful, and inviting spaces.
1:50 · While one of the fathers of modernism,
1:52 · Mis Vandereo said less is more,
1:55 · postmodern architect, Robert Venturi,
1:57 · said less is a boore. And the Thompson
2:00 · Center certainly wasn't a boore. It was
2:02 · a grandiose statement of a building, but
2:05 · it was also playful and approachable.
2:07 · The interior is a cacophony of glass and
2:10 · steel, featuring a dazzling 17story open
2:13 · atrium. The design also makes nods to
2:16 · historic symbols of civic architecture.
2:19 · Its central rotunda evokes American
2:21 · capital buildings. The interior of red,
2:24 · white, and blue evoke the flag, and the
2:27 · building's glass facade and open plan
2:29 · come to symbolize transparency and
2:31 · openness and government. But its
2:34 · futuristic aesthetic was unlike anything
2:36 · seen before, and it quickly became an
2:39 · instantly recognizable landmark.
2:43 · [Music]
2:44 · The Thompson Center opened in 1985,
2:47 · known then as a state of Illinois
2:48 · center. Functionally, it housed state
2:51 · government offices, but it also served
2:53 · many public-f facing functions,
2:55 · featuring courts, a DMV, retail outlets,
2:58 · a food court, and an entrance to the
3:00 · Clark and Lake CTA transit station. And
3:03 · the plaza quickly became a popular
3:05 · gathering spot and protest location. The
3:08 · Thompson Center was truly a palace for
3:10 · the people, and its unique design left
3:13 · an imprint on a city already full of
3:15 · iconic architecture.
3:17 · Over the following decades, it would
3:19 · serve the Illinois government and the
3:20 · people of the state. But the building
3:23 · was also far from perfect.
3:26 · Complaints arose from the noise and lack
3:28 · of privacy caused by the open floor
3:30 · plans. But most of all, its glass
3:33 · skeleton made it hard to keep heat in
3:35 · during brutal Chicago winters. And it
3:37 · also acted like a greenhouse during the
3:39 · summer. A 1987 lawsuit alleged that
3:42 · interior temperatures could reach 110°
3:45 · on hot summer days. And as the years
3:47 · rolled on, these maintenance and
3:49 · operational issues compounded. By the
3:51 · mid-2010s, the state was forced to make
3:54 · a decision. Put millions of dollars into
3:56 · renovations or sell the building
3:58 · altogether. And in 2015, Governor Bruce
4:01 · Rer announced that the building was
4:03 · officially for sale. Many feared that it
4:06 · spelled the end for the Thompson Center.
4:08 · Sitting on prime real estate in
4:10 · Chicago's loop, proposals were already
4:12 · circulating from developers hungry to
4:14 · demolish the building. including one to
4:17 · replace it with a super tall skyscraper.
4:20 · Despite this, many fought hard for the
4:22 · building to be saved. Jan himself even
4:25 · proposed a compromise, a design which
4:27 · would retain much of the original
4:29 · building while adding a skyscraper
4:31 · above. None of these plans stuck, and
4:34 · the clock was ticking on the faint
4:35 · building. Finally, in 2021, a deal was
4:39 · announced. The Thompson Center would be
4:41 · sold for $105 million for use as an
4:45 · office building. The new tenant, Google.
4:50 · Immediately, Google began planning a
4:52 · massive overhaul of the building for use
4:55 · as its Midwest headquarters. And a few
4:57 · years later, demolition crews began to
5:00 · strip the building to its skeleton.
5:02 · Google's proposed $280 million project
5:05 · was designed by Yan's firm, carrying on
5:08 · the original architect's legacy after
5:11 · his death in 2021. The design will
5:14 · preserve the building's signature form
5:16 · and atrium while making significant
5:18 · upgrades, including replacing the facade
5:21 · entirely with sleek new glass, triple
5:24 · pained and thermally efficient.
5:27 · The design also includes a reworking of
5:29 · the interior and updates to the plaza
5:32 · and the building's mechanical systems.
5:34 · Renderings show the interior atrium
5:36 · re-imagined with lots of greenery, wood,
5:39 · and white tones. It's a far cry from the
5:42 · once boisterous design, but a look
5:44 · suitable for its new tenants tech
5:46 · aesthetic. But until the project is
5:49 · complete, expected in 2027,
5:52 · it's still hard to imagine how the
5:54 · building will look and feel in its new
5:56 · form. Google's bold move in hindsight
5:59 · isn't much of a surprise. In the past
6:02 · decade, tech companies have been
6:03 · building unique and showstoppping office
6:06 · spaces like Apple's Certino campus and
6:09 · Amazon Spheres.
6:11 · Google's repurposing of the Thompson
6:13 · Center cementss the company at a
6:15 · prominent place in the city's landscape.
6:18 · It's undoubtedly a bold statement from
6:20 · one of the world's most powerful
6:22 · companies. But the move is also
6:24 · emblematic of big tech's increasing
6:27 · dominance on our world. The Thompson
6:30 · Center, once a public amenity and civic
6:32 · icon, will now be an expression of
6:35 · corporate power. Google does claim that
6:38 · the atrium will remain open to the
6:39 · public, at least in some capacity, and
6:42 · the 2,000 employees that will work in
6:44 · the building will certainly bring new
6:46 · life to the loop.
6:48 · So, when the building reopens as the
6:50 · Google Center, it will mark the rebirth
6:53 · of an icon, but at the same time, it
6:56 · will also signify a death. The Thompson
6:59 · Center, as most Chicagoans know it, the
7:02 · post-modern people's palace, will be
7:04 · long gone.
7:07 · [Music]

--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <--
0:00	·	Love it or hate it, this building is a
0:02	·	Chicago icon. This is the James R.
0:05	·	Thompson Center in Chicago's Loop.
0:07	·	Considered by many to be a masterpiece
0:09	·	of postmodern architecture, the building
0:11	·	was put up for sale a decade ago, and
0:14	·	many thought it was bound for
0:15	·	demolition. But now, the Thompson Center
0:18	·	is undergoing a massive $280 million
0:21	·	renovation in preparation for an
0:23	·	unlikely new tenant. Let's take a look
0:26	·	at the rebirth of an icon, Chicago's
0:29	·	Thompson Center.
0:31	·	[Music]
0:34	·	In the 1970s, local leaders were looking
0:36	·	for ways to inject life into the Loop,
0:39	·	Chicago's declining downtown
0:40	·	neighborhood. They put into action a
0:42	·	redevelopment plan, which called for a
0:44	·	new building for the Illinois state
0:46	·	government. At the time, over 50 state
0:49	·	agencies were housed in various offices
0:51	·	around the city. The new building would
0:53	·	consolidate them under one roof. And
0:56	·	when Governor James R. Thompson was
0:58	·	elected, he doubled down on the project,
1:00	·	hiring the upand cominging architect
1:02	·	Helmet Yan to design the building. Jan
1:05	·	was German and moved to Chicago to study
1:08	·	at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
1:10	·	While still early in his career, Jan had
1:13	·	already made key contributions to the
1:14	·	Chicago cityscape with projects like the
1:17	·	Xerox Center, One South Wacker, and the
1:20	·	addition to the Chicago Board of Trade.
1:23	·	But his proposal for the new state of
1:24	·	Illinois center would be perhaps his
1:26	·	most daring yet, fully breaking the mold
1:29	·	of Chicago modernist architecture with a
1:32	·	dazzling postmodernist design.
1:34	·	Postmodernism is a style that emerged in
1:37	·	the 1960s that assued the teachings of
1:39	·	modernism, the stark and functional
1:41	·	style that dominated the midentury.
1:44	·	Postmodernism in contrast embraced more
1:47	·	playful, colorful, and inviting spaces.
1:50	·	While one of the fathers of modernism,
1:52	·	Mis Vandereo said less is more,
1:55	·	postmodern architect, Robert Venturi,
1:57	·	said less is a boore. And the Thompson
2:00	·	Center certainly wasn't a boore. It was
2:02	·	a grandiose statement of a building, but
2:05	·	it was also playful and approachable.
2:07	·	The interior is a cacophony of glass and
2:10	·	steel, featuring a dazzling 17story open
2:13	·	atrium. The design also makes nods to
2:16	·	historic symbols of civic architecture.
2:19	·	Its central rotunda evokes American
2:21	·	capital buildings. The interior of red,
2:24	·	white, and blue evoke the flag, and the
2:27	·	building's glass facade and open plan
2:29	·	come to symbolize transparency and
2:31	·	openness and government. But its
2:34	·	futuristic aesthetic was unlike anything
2:36	·	seen before, and it quickly became an
2:39	·	instantly recognizable landmark.
2:43	·	[Music]
2:44	·	The Thompson Center opened in 1985,
2:47	·	known then as a state of Illinois
2:48	·	center. Functionally, it housed state
2:51	·	government offices, but it also served
2:53	·	many public-f facing functions,
2:55	·	featuring courts, a DMV, retail outlets,
2:58	·	a food court, and an entrance to the
3:00	·	Clark and Lake CTA transit station. And
3:03	·	the plaza quickly became a popular
3:05	·	gathering spot and protest location. The
3:08	·	Thompson Center was truly a palace for
3:10	·	the people, and its unique design left
3:13	·	an imprint on a city already full of
3:15	·	iconic architecture.
3:17	·	Over the following decades, it would
3:19	·	serve the Illinois government and the
3:20	·	people of the state. But the building
3:23	·	was also far from perfect.
3:26	·	Complaints arose from the noise and lack
3:28	·	of privacy caused by the open floor
3:30	·	plans. But most of all, its glass
3:33	·	skeleton made it hard to keep heat in
3:35	·	during brutal Chicago winters. And it
3:37	·	also acted like a greenhouse during the
3:39	·	summer. A 1987 lawsuit alleged that
3:42	·	interior temperatures could reach 110°
3:45	·	on hot summer days. And as the years
3:47	·	rolled on, these maintenance and
3:49	·	operational issues compounded. By the
3:51	·	mid-2010s, the state was forced to make
3:54	·	a decision. Put millions of dollars into
3:56	·	renovations or sell the building
3:58	·	altogether. And in 2015, Governor Bruce
4:01	·	Rer announced that the building was
4:03	·	officially for sale. Many feared that it
4:06	·	spelled the end for the Thompson Center.
4:08	·	Sitting on prime real estate in
4:10	·	Chicago's loop, proposals were already
4:12	·	circulating from developers hungry to
4:14	·	demolish the building. including one to
4:17	·	replace it with a super tall skyscraper.
4:20	·	Despite this, many fought hard for the
4:22	·	building to be saved. Jan himself even
4:25	·	proposed a compromise, a design which
4:27	·	would retain much of the original
4:29	·	building while adding a skyscraper
4:31	·	above. None of these plans stuck, and
4:34	·	the clock was ticking on the faint
4:35	·	building. Finally, in 2021, a deal was
4:39	·	announced. The Thompson Center would be
4:41	·	sold for $105 million for use as an
4:45	·	office building. The new tenant, Google.
4:50	·	Immediately, Google began planning a
4:52	·	massive overhaul of the building for use
4:55	·	as its Midwest headquarters. And a few
4:57	·	years later, demolition crews began to
5:00	·	strip the building to its skeleton.
5:02	·	Google's proposed $280 million project
5:05	·	was designed by Yan's firm, carrying on
5:08	·	the original architect's legacy after
5:11	·	his death in 2021. The design will
5:14	·	preserve the building's signature form
5:16	·	and atrium while making significant
5:18	·	upgrades, including replacing the facade
5:21	·	entirely with sleek new glass, triple
5:24	·	pained and thermally efficient.
5:27	·	The design also includes a reworking of
5:29	·	the interior and updates to the plaza
5:32	·	and the building's mechanical systems.
5:34	·	Renderings show the interior atrium
5:36	·	re-imagined with lots of greenery, wood,
5:39	·	and white tones. It's a far cry from the
5:42	·	once boisterous design, but a look
5:44	·	suitable for its new tenants tech
5:46	·	aesthetic. But until the project is
5:49	·	complete, expected in 2027,
5:52	·	it's still hard to imagine how the
5:54	·	building will look and feel in its new
5:56	·	form. Google's bold move in hindsight
5:59	·	isn't much of a surprise. In the past
6:02	·	decade, tech companies have been
6:03	·	building unique and showstoppping office
6:06	·	spaces like Apple's Certino campus and
6:09	·	Amazon Spheres.
6:11	·	Google's repurposing of the Thompson
6:13	·	Center cementss the company at a
6:15	·	prominent place in the city's landscape.
6:18	·	It's undoubtedly a bold statement from
6:20	·	one of the world's most powerful
6:22	·	companies. But the move is also
6:24	·	emblematic of big tech's increasing
6:27	·	dominance on our world. The Thompson
6:30	·	Center, once a public amenity and civic
6:32	·	icon, will now be an expression of
6:35	·	corporate power. Google does claim that
6:38	·	the atrium will remain open to the
6:39	·	public, at least in some capacity, and
6:42	·	the 2,000 employees that will work in
6:44	·	the building will certainly bring new
6:46	·	life to the loop.
6:48	·	So, when the building reopens as the
6:50	·	Google Center, it will mark the rebirth
6:53	·	of an icon, but at the same time, it
6:56	·	will also signify a death. The Thompson
6:59	·	Center, as most Chicagoans know it, the
7:02	·	post-modern people's palace, will be
7:04	·	long gone.
7:07	·	[Music]