Crown Hall / Illinois Institute of Technology

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, one of the 20th century's most influential architects, designed S. R. Crown Hall. Since it opened in 1956, the building has housed the Illinois Institute of Technology's College of Architecture which Mies chaired from 1938-1958. An icon of Modernist architecture, Crown Hall represents a masterful melding of architecture and technology and reflects the architect's innovative concept of universal space. A column-free, flexible space with an 18-foot high ceiling, the building's expansive size allows classes to be held simultaneously in different areas without disrupting the creative interaction between faculty and students. With its transparent walls framing a view of one of the world's great skylines, Crown Hall is one of Chicago's architectural treasures and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2001.