Illinois reaches deal to “save’ Helmut Jahn’s Thompson Center

Isn't there like a conflict of interest considering who the governor is?

If by "turning it into a Hyatt" you're referencing the open atrium, that's how the building was originally designed in the early 80's. The finished building was plagued with problems from the start. Due to budget cutting and "value engineering", the contractor substituted single-pane glass windows for the more energy efficient dual-pane ones specified, eliminated the automatic window shades altogether, and had no funds left for the furniture Jahn intended for the building. Jim Thompson, the governor who the building is named after, was actively involved in the design of the building (he felt he had a "flair" for design) with one glaring exception - Thompson claims he had no idea Jahn was using salmon-pink panels on the exterior until he saw them being installed.

No—I’m referring to the blandness of the redesign. Obviously, since I care to discuss the building, I am aware that the atrium is part of the original design. They might as well tear it down given what they are going to do to it.

R2 Why are they that color?

I've always liked it and I'm glad they saved it.

Hideous drafty building.

[quote] given what they are going to do to it

I couldn't understand from the article just what they are going to do to it.

One of the ugliest building in a city with a lot of them (along with some gems).

Look at the renderings.

The renderings make it look cleaner and smoother with added pot plants..

When it opened in the early '80s, its all-glass design was meant to symbolize the transparency of the Illinois state government. I can't recall how many Illinois Governors have been jailed for corruption since then.

Helmut Jahn was a traitor to Modernism who sold out to corporate philistinism.

An ugly dysfunctional building from the start. I happened to live in Chicago shortly after it opened. Jahn's United Airlines terminal at O'Hare are just the opposite---functional, simple and attractive. In daylight it's one of the most welcoming places to land.

What is that ugly black and white thing out the front of it?

The United terminal was plagued by many of the same problems. When it opened, the agents manning the check-in counter (in the days before self check-in) had to wear sunglasses and couldn't see their computer terminal screens. And the sunlight bouncing off the roof created a glare in the control tower. They eventually replaced a lot of the glass in the roof structure with a blend of etched and opaque panels.

I understand Jahn's importance to architecture but that building is hideous inside and out and needs to be demolished.