See How Google Improbably Saved an Iconic American Building

Among the steep financial implications, the building has been known to get extremely hot and just as exceptionally cold, making it hard for the government to find an interested buyer. Talks of demolition put Jahn’s center on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s radar, which then added the building to its 2019 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list. 

For fans of the building, Google’s purchase—to the tune of $105 million—is a moment of celebration. “It’s an accomplishment that benefits all parties involved,” Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker said of the sale at a press conference last Wednesday. (The state leader is from the same Pritzker family responsible for the Pritzker Prize.) 

Google plans to upgrade and restore the iconic building, with an expected completion set for 2026. Apart from the glass façade, one of the most notable elements of the building’s design is the expansive skylight atrium allowing patrons to look up at all 17 floors of the structure. In popular culture, the center has been used as the backdrop in multiple blockbuster films, most notably in 2022’s The Batman serving as the exterior of Gotham Square Garden.