Chicago Civic Center: Perspective View of Plaza

The Chicago Civic Center was the first of several important new public buildings constructed in Chicago from the late 1950s to the 1980s as part of Mayor Richard J. Daley’s consolidation of spaces for municipal government. The building was designed by a consortium of architectural firms led by designer Jacques Brownson of C.F. Murphy Associates. Because the building was intended to hold over 100 courtrooms in addition to office space, an unprecedented structural system was designed for the building that allowed for exceptionally wide spans between perimeter columns and 18-foot, floor-to-floor heights. Perhaps the most important aspect of this new building, however, was its plaza, described by Brownson as a modern agora. In this early presentation drawing, the plaza is shown as an open space framed by flagpoles and a rather unassuming sculpture by Henry Moore. The dramatic figure of Pablo Picasso’s monumental sculpture joined the project slightly later, after William Hartmann of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill spent many months courting the Spanish artist. Since its unveiling in 1967, the Richard J. Daley Center Sculpture, often referred to simply as the Chicago Picasso, has become a symbol of the city and one of the most popular works of public art in the world.