Municipal Courts Building (Chicago, Illinois)

Municipal Courts Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
The Municipal Courts Building in 2008, situated between its wider neighbors
Location	116 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates	41°52′48″N 87°37′28″W / 41.88000°N 87.62444°WCoordinates: 41°52′48″N 87°37′28″W / 41.88000°N 87.62444°W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1906–07
Architect	Jenny, Mundie & Jensen
Architectural style	Chicago
NRHP Reference #	85001912[1]
Added to NRHP	August 29, 1985

The Municipal Courts Building, also known as the Lake View Building, is a skyscraper located at 116 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The building was built from 1906 to 1907 to serve as a temporary home for Chicago's Municipal Court. Jacob L. Kesner built the building, which was originally 12 stories tall, on a strip of land only 40 feet (12 m) wide; Kesner was one of the few property owners willing to grant the Municipal Court a short-term lease. The building was completed later than planned, had less square footage than promised, and charged a higher rent than a competing offer from a warehouse, prompting Mayor Edward Dunne to conduct an ethics investigation into the approval of the building contract. The court only used the building until 1911; after it moved out, Kesner added another five stories to the building.^[2]

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 29, 1985.^[1]

References

1. National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. "Municipal Court Building, Michigan Avenue, Chicago". Designslinger. Retrieved June 26, 2013.