Where is Franklin Center located?

The skyscraper stands in the downtown Loop district of Chicago, situated east of the Chicago River and northeast of Willis Tower.

What was the initial reason for constructing the building?

The tower was built to bring together the central regional operations of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company into a unified headquarters.

Which architectural firm designed the building?

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill designed the skyscraper after being selected by developer Stein and Company.

Why was Skidmore, Owings and Merrill chosen as the architect?

The developer chose the architects so the design would visually stand out from the neighboring Willis Tower.

What workforce hiring standards were adopted during construction?

The project team established hiring and contracting programs supporting minority-owned and women-owned businesses in line with municipal standards.

Chicago · United States

Franklin Center (Chicago): what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

Long-term office workers in the Loop learn to navigate the canyon winds around Franklin Center each morning, slipping past the entrance before rush-hour crowds fill the transit corridors.

Franklin Center (Chicago) · CC BY-SA 4.0

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About the place

Franklin Center anchors the central financial core with soaring granite architecture and substantial corporate presence.

Franklin Center rises as a supertall commercial tower in the Loop neighborhood of downtown Chicago. The skyscraper emerged after a federal antitrust consent decree broke the national telephone monopoly into regional entities. To consolidate regional staff, the company commissioned a tower northeast of Willis Tower. Architects at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill shaped the exterior to stand apart from that dark neighbor.

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Construction set a municipal precedent through an affirmative action agreement initiated by Stein and Company alongside corporate leaders. Mayor Harold Washington had mandated that public sector developments allocate contracts to minority and female business owners. The developers voluntarily applied those municipal guidelines to this private high-rise, integrating diverse local contractors into the downtown building trades.

Associations

Skidmore, Owings and MerrillThe architecture firm designed the tower to contrast with Willis Tower.
Harold WashingtonHis public contracting guidelines inspired the tower's hiring plan.
Antitrust consent decreeCourt orders dismantled the national monopoly and forced relocation.

Facts

The structure stands in the Loop neighborhood northeast of Willis Tower.
Architectural firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill designed the exterior.
The project was commissioned to consolidate regional operations for the national telephone provider.
Private developers adopted municipal hiring standards to support minority and female business ownership.

Updated September 9, 2026Source: Wikipedia

Franklin Center (Chicago): what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

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Franklin Center anchors the central financial core with soaring granite architecture and substantial corporate presence.

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