Chicago in Buidlings: the Daley Center

Housing courtrooms and constructed in a simple manner, the Daley Center probably shouldn’t physically appear to be an inviting governmental building. The wide open space that serves as a place for employees, lawyers and those who are amidst some sort of litigation to smoke cigarettes allows any visitor to take various views of the structure making the building seem more approachable, even as it’s a far sight taller than the neighboring City-County Hall.

The untitled Picasso sculpture that sits in-front of the building and just to the right of the entrance and exit for the train adds to a surprisingly open and friendly feeling of the space. It’s all a bit confusing entering the Daley Center it’s darkly colored floors and high ceilings are complicated by a series of roped off areas and metal detectors.

Considering the vast many folks that come and go each day, though, no one that works to protect the building comes off as all that concerned about who or what anyone is there for as long as there isn’t any behavior to attract attention to one’s self.

After wondering downstairs and finding an uncomfortably crowded Starbucks, heading back upstairs to find the elevators is a straightforward task as a result of unadorned layout of the main floor. The disparate banks of elevators rendered in a ‘60s mod style reminiscent of Maxwell Smart is rather drab while utilizing the same sort of vertical lines that the Daley Center’s exterior uses. It could make one think that moving upwards was some positive enterprise that folks should aspire to.

The only problem with that is the fact that once one exits the elevator on any floor that sports courtrooms, there are a series of signs and locked doors to make visitors feel distanced from the judicial goings on.

A stop on the fifteenth floor – one should assume roughly the same effect on any of the higher levels – grants visitors a view that is only available to apartments attached to outrageous rents.

Government’s real estate is going to always, presumably, be in a centralized location by virtue of its necessitated centrality, but also because judges need a good view. Out of the fifteenth floor windows, if not obscured by clouds, are a series of spires attached to a church across the street. And while the Daley Center itself is an adequate structure, what the building allows one to see is more rewarding to take in.

Turning from the windows that face north, the interior hallways are lined with tinted glass. It’s almost possible to see the court room dramas played out, but not quite. Admittance is probably easy to achieve. Just swing the door open. The off putting brown color of the glass, though, makes entering seem like a bad idea. It’s prohibitive in stark contrast to the welcoming feel that can be found either gazing out those enormous windows or strolling casually around the Picasso sculpture.

The building is an odd confluence of closed doors, unfriendly, aloof guards and architecture that is presumably intended to create some sense of fairness inherent in each court room.