Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index The Standard Oil Building in Chicago was completed in 1972. At 1,136 feet (346.3 m) tall, it is second only to the Sears Tower in height in Chicago. When the building was originally built, it was the world's tallest marble clad building. Eventually, the Carrara marble that sheathed the building began to buckle and roll off the building. From 1990 to 1992, the coating was replaced with granite. The building employs a tubular steel-framed structural system with V-shaped perimeter columns to resist earthquakes, reduce sway, minimize column bending, and maximize column-free space. "Big Stan" as the building was often called, was known officially as the Amoco Building. After the building was sold, it became known officially as the Aon Building. In the early 80s, the lights in selective offices in the building were turned on to form a huge cross in the Christmas season. It was a unique seasonal display in the Chicago skylines. It is unknown if such tradition is still in place nowadays given the energy conservation concerns. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.