The Aon Center (200 East Randolph Street) in Chicago, Illinois was designed by architect Edward Durell Stone and completed in 1972. With 83 floors and a height of 1,136 feet (346.3 m), it is the second tallest building in Chicago, surpassed in height only by the Sears Tower. It is the third tallest in the United States behind the Empire State Building. It is the 14th tallest skyscraper in the world.

When the building was originally built, it was the world's tallest marble-clad building. Eventually, the harsh climate caused the building's Carrara marble sheathing to fail and detach from the building. From 1990 to 1992, the entire building was refaced with white granite at a cost of half the original price of the whole structure. The building employs a tubular steel-framed structural system with V-shaped perimeter columns to resist earthquakes, reduce sway, minimize column bending, and maximize column-free space.

Originally named the Standard Oil Building (often dubbed "Big Stan"), it was officially renamed the Amoco Building when that company changed its name in 1985. When the building was sold in 2001, it officially became known as the Aon Center.

In the early 1980s, the lights in selective offices in the building were turned on to form a huge cross during the Christmas season.

In early 2003, the Aon Center was sold for $465,000,000.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Send by: Gh0st