The Kluczynski building is part of a larger federal complex. It shares a plaza with the downtown post office, and across the street is the Dirksen federal courthouse, with the three forming the Federal Plaza. It is architecturally significant because it is a building designed by Mies van de Rohe, along with the other buildings. One thing that is somewhat distinct, and pleases the part of me that likes things symmetrical and neat, is that the seams of the building line up with the stones used in the plaza surrounding each building. My understanding is that this was done to establish a cohesion between the three buildings, even though they're separated by Dearborn Street.
I absorbed some Mies history during the 11 years I worked for the university at which he remains the most famous person associated with it (even over 50 years after his death). The Kluczynski building is classical Mies architecture. The first floor is recessed from the rest of the building, and is fully wrapped in glass. There's no offices really on this floor, as is the case in so many of his other buildings, where the first floor is almost always a common space. Black steel and glass that rises 45 stories into the air is typically Miesian.
In addition to being a Mies building, the Flamingo by Alexander Calder--one of Chicago's most recognizable pieces of public art--is located in the plaza between the Kluczynski building and the post office.
This building houses offices for several different federal organizations: Labor, the Passport Agency, the federal credit union, the offices for the senators for Illinois, OPM, etc. You'll absolutely need ID when entering this building so come prepared. read more
