CHICAGO UNION STATION GREAT HALL
Retrofit Team
ARCHITECT: Goettsch Partners, Chicago
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Berglund Construction, Chicago
SKYLIGHT RESTORATION: Super Sky Products Enterprises LLC, Mequon, Wis.
MECHANICAL CONTRACTOR: The Hill Group, Franklin Park, Ill.
Materials
The following products were used in the renovation:
HISTORIC SKYLIGHT RESTORATION: Pattern 516 Texture Inner Lite Laminated to 1/4-inch Clear Tempered by Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope
NEW ENERGY-EFFICIENT SKYLIGHT: 1 1/4-inch Laminate IGU with Neutral 50 Low-e Coating on #2 Surface by Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope
CUSTOM AND RESTORATION LIGHTING FIXTURES: Archistoric Products
GENERAL LIGHTING: Luminii and elliptipar from The Lighting Quotient
THEATRICAL LIGHTING: ETC
CUSTOM 7-FOOT 6-INCH BY 6-FOOT 4-INCH STAINLESS-STEEL ELEVATOR CAB: Anderson Elevator
LIQUID AND SHEET ROOFING MEMBRANES: G410 80-mil PVC from Sika Sarnafil
The Retrofit
Originally designed by renowned architecture firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, the 1925 Great Hall suffered water leakage and deterioration because of flaws in its original design and was in need of substantial repairs.
To address the necessary work, the design team renovated the station’s iconic, 219-footlong skylight, which experienced extensive moisture damage during the past several decades. To restore the cast-iron skylight assembly while maintaining its historic appearance, the Goettsch Partners team, led by Leonard Koroski, FAIA, LEED AP, designed an energy-efficient, modern skylight above the original structure. Supported 5 feet above the restored cast-iron skylight, the new high-performance skylight of steel and 858 panes of clear, high-efficiency glass protects the landmark building while brightening the Great Hall interiors with 50 percent more natural daylight than before.
Other work designed by Goettsch Partners included structural improvements, new plumbing, plaster repair, restored ornamentation and new lighting. “Essential to our vision for this project was preserving the historic design features of the building while making necessary improvements and repairs to stabilize this landmark for the long term,” Koroski explains. His experience with preservation and adaptive reuse of historic structures includes the iconic Wrigley Building and Civic Opera Building in Chicago, as well as Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House in Plano, Ill.
Koroski and the Goettsch Partners architectural team directed the methodical removal of paint layers to reveal the original coloration of the ornate plasterwork. “By restoring the Union Station’s original color scheme and stabilizing the skylight, visitors now enjoy the authentic experience intended in the 1920s, full of sunlight and color,” Koroski adds.
Working with Berglund Construction, the team also installed a new elevator and restored 24 ceiling chandeliers and two figural sculptures by noted artist Henry Hering, also unveiled in 1925. Historic reproduction light fixtures added 27 light sources to improve interior lighting.
An innovative, suspended work deck with swing stages—in lieu of conventional floormounted scaffolding—allowed the construction work to proceed without interrupting the 120,000 daily travelers and commuters at this major transit hub. “This work enhances our customer experience with a much brighter and inviting Great Hall,” notes David Handera, Amtrak vice president, Stations, Properties and Accessibility.
This $22 million project for Amtrak, which took more than three years to complete, is the latest in a series of major redesign and restoration projects by Goettsch Partners that started in 2010. Complementing its work at the historic Union Station headhouse building, Goettsch Partners currently is designing a new high-rise office tower on an adjacent parcel to the south. Developed by Riverside Investment & Development and Convexity Properties, the building’s anchor tenant BMO Financial Group was announced in December 2018 with a planned opening in 2022.
Photos: AMTRAK, COURTESY GOETTSCH PARTNERS