Nov 10

Nov 10 Cavernous

“People are watching, people who stare
Waiting for something that’s already there
”Tomorrow I’ll find it”, the trumpeter screams
And remembers he’s hungry, and drowns in his dreams”

— Soft Machine, Why Are We Sleeping, from Soft Machine (1968)

I dropped off a package on a Sunday afternoon shortly before the Old Main Post Office was shuttered in 1997. The service counters were located in a cramped, decrepit, and poorly lit lobby, representing only a small fraction of the 2.5 million square feet of space encased within the stone behemoth spanning the Eisenhower Expressway.

Designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, the structure was completed in 1921, but was greatly expanded in 1932. In its day, the Old Main Post Office served the same function as the Internet does today: facilitating America’s consumer culture. Today, we browse Amazon’s website, place our orders, and then wait for the mailman or the UPS driver to drop the package off. Back in the day, Montgomery Ward and Sears used catalogues to hawk their goods, which is the reason the Old Main Post Office is so large. It was the distribution center for those thick books. No Google searches. Consumers waited for the catalogues to arrive, and then placed their orders. Some things, however, do not change. Like our grandparents, we still anxiously await the mailman or UPS driver. Ironically, in 2016, Amazon considered the structure for its HQ2 location, but that never panned out.

I returned to the building four or five years ago during Open House Chicago. Work had begun on the redevelopment, but like my first visit, I was only allowed in the lobby-area that I had visited some twenty years earlier. Much improved—the marble walls and brass fixtures were polished—but the lobby was still poorly lit.

Today I finally got a glimpse of the entire structure after it had undergone an $800 makeover. It is now occupied by a variety of tenants, including the CBOE, Cisco, Ferrara Candy, Home Chef, Pepsi Co, Uber, and Walgreens. As I experienced the space, one thought kept going through my mind: If I were a law student looking for a job, I would pick any law firm that had offices in this complex. It looks like a fun place to work, filled with young professionals climbing the corporate ladder while casually attired. Unlike other office spaces located in the Loop, there are plenty of people walking the halls, suggesting the space is preferable to first or even second apartments.

The ground floor is open to the public, filled with inviting seating areas that facilitate informal meetings between colleagues, along wth some socializing. No need to swipe right or left; just look up with an inviting smile. One particularly noteworthy touch: the coffee tables separating the couches in the seating areas have art and photo books stacked on their surfaces. Another nice touch: a curated selection of music fills the air. It doesn’t impede conversation, but you can certainly get lost in a deep track that you haven’t heard in eons.

Aside from the well-lit Walgreens, which includes self-checkout counters, there are no name-brands visible. No Starbucks; no Steak and Shake; no Chick-fil-A. The espresso station carries no name-brand, just nice espresso machines and sleek countertops. Two servers were keeping up with the steady demand, one clad in a black tee-shirt demanding equality for Trans People.

Setback further in the space is a large square pavilion, with each side serving different styles of food—tacos, salads, dumplings, Pho, and burgers. I suspect each station is run by an independent proprietor who also has a food truck or two serving similar fare on city street corners. Don’t want to eat indoors because it is the last sixty-degree day of the year? No problem, there is a large outdoor seating area overlooking the river. Those who want to imbibe after work can stop into Snorkelbox. Gotta love that name.

If you have the keys to the realm—an employee card with a chip, or a temporary pass—the lucite gates highlighted by green light swing open, giving you access to the escalator that rises on a diagonal. The first accents I noticed as walked south along a long corridor on the second floor were the fantastic photographs of the abandoned post office prior to renovation, with wonderful and often colorful details. Some photographer was lucky to get such a plumb assignment.

There were a variety of rooms and spaces along the corridor that easily runs three, if not four blocks. On the north end, I encountered a state-of-the-art health club, complete with an antique boxing ring, studios filled with spin bikes, weight machines, and high-tech lockers. On the other side of the corridor, overlooking the river, I saw a large open space, with a bar in waiting. I suspect this is area is available for receptions. Those who are looking for a 3 PM break in the workday can use one of the pool tables, where the colorful balls are racked—everything is in its assigned place. Toward the far north end, I walked into a spacious and inviting library.

In addition to the photographs, the walls are decorated with interesting visuals, including one wall filled with vintage post cards and another with blowups of collectible stamps. The designers utilized the postal motif to good effect.

But the real treat still awaited me. I took the elevator up to the 13th floor, which is the access point for the 3.5 acre environmentally friendly rooftop—purported to be the largest in the country. As I had assumed, prairie grass, plants, and beehives dominated the space. I wasn’t sure, but the grey pathway appeared to be for runners. Those who like group activities can choose skyline basketball or pickleball/paddle tennis. If someone needs to do some work, they can use the tables as desktops or gather in seating aress for informal conferences.

In addition to being a tenant amenity, the rooftop functions as a stormwater filter, absorbing a quarter of a million gallons of storm water each year, thereby taking pressure off Chicago’s sewer system. The rooftop vegetation also conserves energy, reducing the need for air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter.

Unfortunately, the winter season will soon be upon us, so a lot of the furniture had already been removed. Nevertheless, I saw seven or eight people taking advantage of the remaining table space.

Photographically, the rooftop was not an ideal vantage point, although excellent images were still possible with a little work. The problem: the walls are a bit too high. Before heading downtown today, I wondered whether there would be protective fencing or some sort of glass to prevent accidental falls and suicides. The walls lining the southern and western exposures eliminate a view of anything but the sky. The northern walls are not as high, but they are lined with foliage, making it difficult to look over the brick. The eastern wall is not a problem because the accessible portion of the roof is setback, with an iron fencing preventing access to the edges. The architects might have done a better job of opening up the sight-lines, but that may not have been possible under the existing building code and limitations imposed by the buildings listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It]

**The Entrance to the Eisenhower Expressway Running Under Chicago’s Old Main Post Office (Historical)**

**North Entrance to Chicago’s Old Main Post Office (Historical)**

**Chicago’s Old Main Post Office Reflected in the BMO Office Building’s Glass Curtain**

**The Old Main Post Office Spans the Eisenhower**

**Rooftop: Grass, Art Deco, and International Style Compressed**

**Blues in the Bucket: Building a New Parking Lot**

**International Style Reflected in the BMO Office Tower’s Glass Curtain**

**Helicopter Delivery During Trump-Era Protest (Historical)**

**Presidential Towers Reflected in Riverside Plaza**

**BMO Office Tower Beginnings As Seen from the Steps of Chicago’s Old Main Post Office (Historical)**

**Air Conditioning Units Along Congress Parkway**

**Looking North from the Outdoor Seating Area**

At some point, I always have to head home. I decided to walk along the river, in large part because today would be the last day. of this year when the temperatures soared into the Seventies.