Technology Park—North (Tech North) Building, originally The Institute of Gas Technology Building.

If Less is More, then Give Me More!

At the time S. R. Crown Hall (Crown Hall) opened in 1956, 34th street crossed the campus. Thus, the entrance to Crown Hall was placed on its south façade, facing the street. Further south was the Institute of Gas Technology Complex. Although the street has been covered over with lawns and pathways, the entrance (location) remains as designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. (Schulze p. 52)

The two buildings share a “place” on campus, but they also share a structural logic whether concrete (Tech North) or steel (Crown Hall). Common features include a broad flight of stairs, analogous enclosures, opaque lower zone, transparent upper zone on one, translucent lower zone, and transparent upper zone on the other demonstrate their shared DNA. However, the differences in purpose—ordinary in one, representative and monumental on the other—distinguish them from each other: All this makes them siblings, but not twins. (Kevin Harrington personal communication, August 20, 2024)

Mies’ academic buildings on campus are executed in concrete or steel frame construction. The supporting frame in each building is adapted for flexible use and according to the varying composition of the spaces, consisting of two and three stories and typically with hall construction for large spaces. These building projects had, however, to be carried out using the most economical means. (Blaser, p. 57)

Since then, 34th street has become a landscaped meadow for community and student use filled with lawns, trees, and pathways. The entrance to Tech North, found at 3410 S. State Street, faces the front entrance of Crown Hall—as noted earlier—and is next in line for repairs and restoration. There is a plan to return its configuration to what it was intended to be, as designed by Mies, complementing the surrounding landscape by famed American landscape architect, Alfred Caldwell.

The Caldwell Grove envelopes Crown Hall with the textures and colors of yellow pinnate leaves and the shifting reflections of wind-blown shadows of branches and richly textured leaves. The pseudo-random pattern of planting honey locusts, hawthorns, and Kentucky coffee trees was designed by Alfred Caldwell in 1956 and renovated by Mies Society and College of Architecture Board Member Chandra Goldsmith Gray in 2005. (Ron Henderson, personal communication, August 22, 2024)

A Mies Society-led fundraising project to help Tech North is now underway. The first phase of restoration would include façade work. Repair of the limestone steps and its associated foundation work—including repairs to the brick flanking the steps, the relocation of the accessible ramp to the west side of the building allowing for the original configuration of the front porch, installation of counter balanced entry doors, and the restoration of the terrazzo floor in the Lobby—are all being considered.

The work described in this scope allows the front façade to regain its historical appearance. The Mies Society is in an early-stage design discussion with Illinois Tech Facilities and with consultation from preservation architect T. Gunny Harboe, FAIA, and Ward Miller, Executive Director of Preservation Chicago.

The aspiration of achieving the order in his buildings through the expression of the structure of modernity led Mies to confine himself to contemporary materials, to use them economically and in keeping with their purpose, and to bring out their beauty solely through their sensible application. (Blaser, p. 72)

As one of Mies’ first commercial buildings on campus, the Institute of Gas Technology’s (IGT) aim was to develop and promote the use of natural gas as a valuable resource. Taking the place of coal and fuel oils, natural gas was thought to be the cleanest, while providing a reliable and efficient source of energy. It was this and other important IGT research that offered opportunities for scientists and engineers of Illinois Tech to participate. An installation of historical note is the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame, lighted by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis on the day of John F. Kennedy’s funeral and now burns from the center of a 5-foot circular flat granite stone found at the head of the President's grave in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The burner, a specially designed apparatus created by the Institute of Gas Technology of Chicago, consists of a nozzle and electric ignition system. A constantly flashing electric spark near the tip of the nozzle relights the gas if the flame is extinguished by rain, wind, or accidents. The fuel is natural gas mixed with proper quantities of air to control the color and shape of the flame (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum).

Like the flame, there is a tranquility that radiates over Mies Campus. Today, right angled axes bordering park spaces link this building with Crown Hall and the others. As you walk past Tech North, notice how this quasi-industrial building—now used for classrooms for the College of Architecture—displays severity, order, and harmony through its elegant sense of scale and proportion. The raised limestone steps that “lift” this building on to a “platform” attest to the fact that Mies believed this modest building worthy of well-designed elements, regardless of its modest function.

Blaser, Werner. Mies van der Rohe, IIT Campus, Illinois Institute of Technology, Birkhäuser, Basel; Boston; Berlin, 2002.

John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. (website): President Kennedy's Grave in Arlington National Cemetery | JFK Library

Schultz, Franz. The Campus Guide, Illinois Institute of Technology, An Architectural Tour by Franz Schulz, Foreword by Lew Collens. Princeton Architectural Press, New York, 2005.

Find out more about this important series of buildings historically known as the Institute of Gas Technology and what Mies Society and the College of Architecture are planning here.

The Restoration of Landscape on Mies Campus

The landscape on Mies Campus has a vibrant history of its own, dating back to the earliest days of Armour Institute of Technology (AIT), but as with so much of the school’s building program, Mies’ tenure figures heavily in the development of the grounds as they present themselves today. During World War II, Mies struck up a relationship with famed Chicago landscape architect Alfred Caldwell, in whom he reposed sufficient confidence to invite him to redesign the campus landscape. He also appointed him faculty of the department of architecture, and in the course of the 1940s and 1950s, Caldwell left his imprint on the campus. Nearly everything he achieved is apparent today, but largely on account of the restorative efforts of later designers. Over the years, many plantings were lost; and in 1999 Illinois Tech undertook a landscape master plan in order to recreate Caldwell’s work and enhance it appropriately [1]. Throughout his career, Caldwell underlined the ideal relationship between structure and natural growth as exemplified by his work at Illinois Tech in planning the campus with Mies and Ludwig Hilberseimer.

Caldwell’s philosophy of total space: from the house to the garden to the landscape itself led him to develop a farm in Bristol, Wisconsin, where he was the laborer, the contractor, the stone mason, the carpenter, the plumber, the gardener, the dreamer, the architect, and the taxpayer. The farm became a labor of love and a tool by which to teach his students—that the architect should know how to design and build every part of the project, from initial concept to its final details. As a second home to escape the confines of the urban city and to give the mind a much needed break, Caldwell found comfort in spending time on his farm. This became a place to explore the relationship of people, nature, and architecture as a unified whole and where creativity and pedagogy would converge [2].

But the ongoing restoration of landscape on Mies Campus at Illinois Tech continues! Achieving Arboretum Status has been achieved at the first level as the campus landscape exists today. The Arboretum Accreditation Program provides standards for the establishment and development of an official or bona fide arboretum.

The arboretum or public garden is now officially part of the institution and will maintain plants and trees for the purposes of public education and enjoyment. In addition to research and conservation, higher learning will be encouraged. The campus and its “gardens” are open to the public; and its resources and accommodations are welcoming and available to all visitors.

Read more about Mies Campus’ recent landscape development here.