Chicago City Hall in the context of "Chicago Loop"

⭐ In the context of the Chicago Loop, Chicago City Hall is considered a key component of what broader function within the district?

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⭐ Core Definition: Chicago City Hall

The City Hall-County Building, commonly known as City Hall, is a 12-story building in Chicago, Illinois, that houses the seats of government of the City of Chicago and Cook County. The building's west side (City Hall, 121 N. LaSalle St.) holds the offices of the mayor, city clerk, and city treasurer; some city departments; offices of alderpersons of Chicago's 50 wards; and the Chicago City Council's chambers. The building's east side (County Building, 118 N. Clark St.) houses offices of the Government of Cook County, including the Cook County Board of Commissioners' chambers.

The building spans a city block bounded by Randolph Street to the north, Washington Street to the south, Clark Street to the east, and LaSalle Street to the west. It is the seventh building to serve as Chicago's city hall, the fourth built at its location, and the third shared by the governments of Chicago and Cook County. Its location has served as the seat of the city and county governments since 1853, except for a period from 1871—when the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the building—to 1885.

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👉 Chicago City Hall in the context of Chicago Loop

The Loop is Chicago's central business district and one of the city's 77 municipally recognized community areas. Located at the center of downtown Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, it is the second-largest business district in North America, after Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It contains the world headquarters and regional offices of several global and national businesses, retail establishments, restaurants, hotels, museums, theaters, and libraries—as well as many of Chicago's most famous attractions. The district also hosts Chicago's City Hall, the seat of Cook County, offices of the state of Illinois, United States federal offices, and several foreign consulates. The intersection of State Street and Madison Street in the Loop is the origin point for the address system on Chicago's street grid, a grid system that has been adopted by numerous cities worldwide.

The Loop's definition and perceived boundaries have evolved over time. Since the 1920s, the area bounded by the Chicago River to the west and north, Lake Michigan to the east, and Roosevelt Road to the south has been called the Loop. It took its name from a somewhat smaller area, the 35 city blocks bounded on the north by Lake Street, on the west by Wells Street, on the south by Van Buren Street, and on the east by Wabash Avenue—the Union Loop formed by the 'L' in the late 1800s. Similarly, the "South Loop" and the "West Loop" historically referred to areas within the Loop proper, but in the 21st century began to refer to the entire Near South and much of the Near West Sides of the city, respectively.

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Chicago City Hall in the context of Government of Chicago

The government of the City of Chicago, Illinois, United States is divided into executive and legislative branches. The Mayor of Chicago is the chief executive, elected by general election for a term of four years, with no term limits. The mayor appoints commissioners and other officials who oversee the various departments. In addition to the mayor, Chicago's two other citywide elected officials are the City Clerk and the City Treasurer.

The City Council is the legislative branch and is made up of 50 alderpersons, one elected from each ward in the city. The council takes official action through the passage of ordinances and resolutions and approves the city budget. Government priorities and activities are established in a budget ordinance usually adopted each November.

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Chicago City Hall in the context of Chicago City Council

The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the city of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms. The council is called into session regularly, usually monthly, to consider ordinances, orders, and resolutions whose subject matter includes code changes, utilities, taxes, and many other issues. The Chicago City Council Chambers are located in Chicago City Hall, as are the downtown offices of the individual alderpersons and staff.

The presiding officer of the council is the mayor of Chicago, who is usually non-voting, except in rare cases, such as to break a tie. The secretary is the city clerk of Chicago. Both positions are city-wide elected offices. In the absence of the mayor, an alderperson is elected to the position of President Pro Tempore serves as the presiding officer.

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Chicago City Hall in the context of Government of Cook County, Illinois

The government of Cook County, Illinois, is primarily composed of the Board of Commissioners, other elected officials such as the Sheriff, State's Attorney, Treasurer, Board of Review, Clerk, Assessor, Cook County Circuit Court judges and Circuit Court Clerk, as well as numerous other officers and entities. Cook County is the only home rule county in Illinois. The Cook County Code is the codification of Cook County's local ordinances.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Chicago Loop ← South Loop, Chicago ← Government of Chicago ← Chicago City Council ← Government of Cook County, Illinois
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Chicago → Seat of government → Government of Chicago → Cook County, Illinois → Mayor of Chicago → City Clerk of Chicago → City Treasurer of Chicago → Ward (electoral subdivision) → Chicago City Council → Government of Cook County, Illinois → Cook County Board of Commissioners → Randolph Street (Chicago) → Clark Street (Chicago) → LaSalle Street → Great Chicago Fire →