Construction crews work outside of the former Thompson Center as Google’s plans to convert the former state government building into its Chicago headquarters progresses.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times
Demolition of the exterior and atrium of the Thompson Center have begun as Google’s plans to convert the former state government building into its Chicago headquarters progresses.
Crews used excavators to tear off lower exterior portions of the building at 100 W. Randolph St. on Thursday, marking an unofficial start to Google’s $280 million renovations of the 17-story building.
Permits issued last October by the Department of Buildings called for removing the structure’s metal and glass skin. Renderings released by Google last year show a similar-looking building, with its trademark atrium still intact but absent of its longstanding blue, salmon and white color scheme.
The “Monument with Standing Beast” sculpture, the 29-foot tall structure that has stood outside the building since 1984, was also removed Thursday. The sculpture will be kept at a state facility until it’s moved to the Art Institute of Chicago.
Google bought the 39-year-old building designed by Chicago architect Helmut Jahn for $105 million in 2022 when Gov. J.B. Pritzker managed to preserve most of the building after several failed attempts by previous governors to demolish it.
The company plans to redevelop the building into a headquarters for 2,000 of its employees.
The building’s exterior colonnade and plaza also plans to be revamped “to allow for an enhanced ground floor experience, including opportunities for more food and beverage retail and seasonal activations of the plaza,” Google previously said in a statement.