Roosevelt University has been turning heads with its new Vertical Campus high-rise in the South Loop; just around the corner, a different school* is planning to leave its mark on the skyline with another nearby building. Columbia College is planning to give the old Spertus building at 618 S. Michigan Ave. (just south of the current Spertus Institute) a serious facade makeover. The building was constructed in 1913, and its facade was later replaced in the 1950s when IBM took it over. In 2007, Columbia acquired the building, and the university is now planning yet another facade replacement that will make the building look a bit more like the original. According to the Chicago Journal, the new facade will be "a glass composite with concrete mixed in that will be digitally construed in a way that will mimic the original building facade." That's different! SkyscraperPage contributor Mr Downtown adds that there are some details that remain to be worked out, but that Landmarks is on board.
*UPDATE: The original version of this post said that Roosevelt University was the owner of 618 S. Michigan.
· Michigan Avenue streetwall is getting a reverse revival [Chicago Journal]
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