77 West Wacker Drive, previously the United Building, is an American office building in the

Loop, Chicago The Loop is Chicago's central business district and one of the city's 77 municipally recognized community areas. Located at the center of downtown Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, it is the second-largest business district in North Amer ...

. Finished in 1992, the building rises to a height of 668 ft (204 m) with around of interior space.Prime Group Realty Trust Extends Major Tenant Lease At 77 West Wacker Drive.
''

Business Wire Business Wire is an American company that disseminates full-text press releases from thousands of companies and organizations worldwide to news media, financial markets, disclosure systems, investors, information web sites, databases, bloggers, ...

''. March 10, 2004. Retrieved on November 11, 2009. The building, with 50 floors, was designed by

Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA) is an architecture firm that was founded in 1963 by Ricardo Bofill, initially as Taller de Arquitectura (). It is headquartered in Sant Just Desvern near Barcelona, in a former cement factory known a ...

.Prime Group Realty Trust Announces Two Lease Transactions at 77 West Wacker Drive.
''

''. October 19, 2006. Retrieved on November 12, 2009. It was formerly known as the RR Donnelley Building when

RR Donnelley R.R. Donnelley is an American integrated communications company that provides marketing and business communications, commercial printing, and related services. Its corporate headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. In 2007, R ...

was the primary tenant. RR Donnelley moved its corporate

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

to a different location in May 2005, and in 2007 the building became the corporate headquarters of

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...

. The deal included

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization where a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event (most often sports venues), typical ...

to the building. The building was the world headquarters of Chicago-based United Airlines and its parent company,

United Continental Holdings United Airlines, Inc. is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six continents with more destinations than any o ...

. It also served as the headquarters for United Continental subsidiary

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continen ...

until its certificate was merged with United on November 30, 2011.Headquarters Location
."

. Retrieved on October 11, 2011. "Physical Address 77 W. Wacker Drive Chicago, Illinois 60601 United States" In 2012, United moved its headquarters to the

Willis Tower The Willis Tower, formerly and still commonly referred to as the Sears Tower, is a 110-storey, story, skyscraper in the Chicago Loop, Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois, United States. Designed by architect Bruce Graham and engineer F ...

, where the company occupies around 20 floors.

Archer Daniels Midland The Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, commonly known as ADM, is an American multinational food processing and commodities trading corporation founded in 1902 and headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. The company operates more than 270 p ...

moved its headquarters to the building in August 2014 from

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city in Macon County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

. The building has a newsletter called "FOCUS", published by Prime Group Realty Trust.

History

By 1990, Keck, Mahin & Cate, a then-prominent Chicago-based law firm, considered moving out of its space in the

Sears Tower The Willis Tower, formerly and still commonly referred to as the Sears Tower, is a 110- story, skyscraper in the Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois, United States. Designed by architect Bruce Graham and engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan ...

and moving into a potential new development, which would become 77 West Wacker Drive. Brokers who were familiar with the lease negotiations stated that

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosen ...

was trying to keep Keck, Mahin & Cate in the building. Keck, Mahin & Cate decided to move into 77 West Wacker, and the Prime Group, developer of 77 West Wacker, finalized the development of the facility.
77 W. Wacker ready to go
" ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

''. March 12, 1990. Retrieved on November 12, 2009. In 1991,

leased on floors 9 through 19 for its world headquarters, and Kemper Securities leased . With the lease deals concluded, 77 West Wacker had 86% of its tenant space occupied. Jerry C. Davis of the ''

'' said that the remaining space would be too small for some prospective tenants. Davis added that the leases to RR Donnelley and Kemper significantly altered "the complexion of the downtown office market." Keck Mahin & Cate moved from the Sears Tower to 77 W. Wacker in mid-1992; the firm suffered a series of practice group defections and questionable management decisions, and ultimately ceased operation in 1997. In 2004, RR Donnelley signed a letter of intent to move out of 77 West Wacker. During the same year,

McGuireWoods McGuireWoods LLP is a US-based international law firm headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Initially founded in 1834, the firm has grown into the largest law firm in the state of Virginia, and has 21 offices across the country. Along with its Ric ...

extended its lease by 8 years, changing the end date from December 31, 2010 to December 31, 2018. In addition, McGuireWoods expanded its leased space, effective February 1, 2004. The company gained an extra of space in addition to its existing . As a result of the lease expansion of McGuireWoods, as of February 2004, 77 West Wacker was 92.2% leased. In 2004, the lease of the firm

Jones Day Jones Day is an American multinational law firm based in Washington, D.C. As of 2023, it is one of the largest law firms in the United States, with 2,302 attorneys, and among the highest-grossing in the world with revenues of $2.5 billion. Foun ...

of in 77 West Wacker was extended by 15 years, with the end date changed from September 30, 2007 to September 30, 2022. In 2006,

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...

extended the term of its lease and expanded its leased space to , with a total of occupied by Microsoft. During the same year,

Greenberg Traurig Greenberg Traurig is a multinational law firm, law and lobbying firm founded in Miami in 1967 by Mel Greenberg, Larry J. Hoffman, and Robert H. Traurig. As of 2025, it is the eighth-largest law firm in the United States. The firm has 49 locati ...

agreed to expand its lease by , giving it a total of . In 2006,

agreed to move its 350 executives and some staff members from its

Elk Grove Township Elk Grove Township is one of 29 townships in Cook County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2020 census, its population was 95,508 and it contained 40,299 housing units. Elk Grove Township formerly housed the United Airlines headquarters. Geography A ...

campus to 77 West Wacker. On August 13, 2012, United Continental Holdings announced its intention to once again relocate its world headquarters. An agreement was reached for United Continental Holdings to lease an additional at

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, joining the airline's operations center which leased an initial in 2010. The company vacated the majority of their offices at 77 W. Wacker with the naming future of the building left unknown.

Design

77 W. Wacker is one of the most prominent examples of

postmodern Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting the wo ...

architecture in the city of Chicago. The facade consists of glass surfaces framed in Portuguese white granite, with the dividers between the different floors linked by columns. The top floor is shaped like a Greek

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

. The ground floor houses a atrium in gray and white marble. To enhance its panoramic view over the city, the building's skin is predominantly glazed. The interior is similarly styled. The

classical Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archa ...

style is repeated inside, with Thassos

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

walls and a 40 ft (12 m) tall coffered ceiling made of

white oak ''Quercus'' subgenus ''Quercus'' is one of the two subgenera into which the genus ''Quercus'' was divided in a 2017 classification (the other being subgenus ''Cerris''). It contains about 190 species divided among five sections. It may be calle ...

wood. A

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Xavier Corberó Xavier Corberó i Olivella (13 June 1935 – 24 April 2017) was a prominent Catalan artist, best known for monumental public sculpture and his palatial house complex in Esplugues de Llobregat near Barcelona. He has been described as "widely consi ...

called "Three Lawyers and A Judge" graces the building, as does

Antoni Tàpies Antoni Tàpies i Puig, 1st Marquess of Tápies, Marquess of Tàpies (; 13 December 1923 – 6 February 2012) was a Catalans, Catalan painter, sculptor, and art theorist. Life The son of Josep Tàpies i Mestre and Maria Puig i Guerra, Antoni T ...

' artwork called "Big Eyelids". Bofill further contributed by creating a sculpture entitled "Twisted Columns" which appears to float above a

reflecting pool A reflecting pool, also called a reflection pool, is a water feature found in gardens, parks and memorial sites. It usually consists of a shallow pool of water with a reflective surface, undisturbed by fountain jets. Design Reflecting pools are o ...

. At night, 540

lamps Lamp, Lamps or LAMP may refer to: Lighting * Oil lamp, using an oil-based fuel source * Kerosene lamp, using kerosene as a fuel * Electric lamp, or light bulb, a replaceable component that produces light from electricity * Light fixture, or ligh ...

light the building and its surroundings, along with a United sign that was added to the building in 2008. Steve Baron, president of Prime Group Realty, said in 1990 that 77 West Wacker had "very compact floors with virtually no columns." Therefore, tenant companies would not pay for space that they would be unable to use.

Transportation

Chicago Transit Authority The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the operator of public transport, mass transit in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and some of its suburbs, including the trains of the Chicago "L" and List of Chicago Transit Authority bus routes, CTA bu ...

(CTA) bus lines serving the building include 22, 24, 29, 62, 124, 146 and 151. The closest

Chicago 'L' Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous city in the United States after New York City and Los ...

stations are Clark/Lake, serving the

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB color model, RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB color model, RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between Violet (color), violet and cyan on the optical spe ...

Purple Purple is a color similar in appearance to violet light. In the RYB color model historically used in the arts, purple is a secondary color created by combining red and blue pigments. In the CMYK color model used in modern printing, purple is ...

Pink Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...

and

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black. In the ...

Lines, and the State/Lake station, which serves the Orange, Green, Purple, Pink and Brown Lines, with a connection to the Red Line at

Lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

. The Metra Electric Line is the closest

Metra Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 train station, stati ...

line.Transportation
." ''77 West Wacker Drive''. Retrieved on May 19, 2009.

Position in skyline

In this lakefront view from 2006, ''77 West Wacker'' is located between

Buckingham Fountain Buckingham Fountain is a Chicago Landmark in the center of Grant Park, between Queen's Landing and the end of Ida B. Wells Drive. Dedicated in 1927 and donated to the city by philanthropist Kate S. Buckingham, it is one of the largest fount ...

and the

Pittsfield Building The Pittsfield Building is a 38-story skyscraper located at 55 E. Washington Street in the Chicago Loop, Loop Community areas of Chicago, community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States, that was the city's tallest building at the time of it ...

In popular culture

The building is featured prominently in ''

The Negotiator ''The Negotiator'' is a 1998 American crime thriller film directed by F. Gary Gray. It stars Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey as Chicago Police Department lieutenants who are expert hostage negotiators. The film was released in the United Sta ...

'' (1998) where it serves as the location of offices for the Internal Affairs Division of the Chicago Police Department. The building was seen in the Bollywood movie ''

Dhoom 3 ''Dhoom 3'' (), stylised as ''Dhoom: 3'', is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language heist action film written & directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya and produced by Aditya Chopra, who co-wrote the story. The film, which is the third installment of '' Dho ...

''.

References

External links

77 West Wacker Drive
*
Prime Group Realty Trust
{{Coord, 41, 53, 11.40, N, 87, 37, 49.90, W, display=title, type:landmark_region:US Office buildings completed in 1992 Ricardo Bofill buildings Skyscraper office buildings in Chicago United Airlines Continental Airlines Airline company headquarters in the United States Postmodern architecture in the United States Modernist architecture in Illinois Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certified buildings 1992 establishments in Illinois