St. Charles Municipal Building, Government building in St. Charles, Illinois, United States.
St. Charles Municipal Building is a government center in St. Charles, Illinois, featuring white Georgia marble walls and a black granite base with geometric detailing. The facade displays grouped windows and faceted surfaces that exemplify the Moderne architectural approach.
Construction took place in 1940, funded by Colonel E.J. Baker and his wife, who commissioned architect R. Harold Zook for the design. The building emerged as a model of contemporary civic architecture during the machine age.
The building incorporates architectural elements from the machine age, including faceted surfaces, zigzags, chevron patterns, and octagonal shapes throughout its structure.
The building sits at 2 East Main Street in downtown St. Charles and is easy to reach on foot. The architectural details are best appreciated from street level where you can view the full facade and exterior ornamentation.
The building was among the first in the region to employ fluorescent lighting systems in its design. This forward-thinking approach to illumination was cutting-edge technology for public buildings at the time.
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