Feb 17, 2009 2:30 pm US/Central
Demolition Underway At Former CBS Building
630 N. McClurg Ct. Was Home To CBS 2 From 1956 Until 2008
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Demolition is underway at 630 N. McClurg Ct., home to CBS 2 from 1956 until 2008.
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The building at 630 N. McClurg Ct. shortly before CBS 2 moved out.
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Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kennedy, left, moderator Howard K. Smith, center, and Republican presidential nominee Richard M. Nixon during the first televised presidential debate in history, Sept. 26, 1960, at McClurg Court.
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Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson became legends as the anchors of CBS 2's "THE 10 O'clock News" in the 1970s and '80s.
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WBBM Newsradio 780's headquarters at the building.
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Demolition of exterior walls began last weekend at 630 N. McClurg Ct., the building which served as CBS 2's base of operations for more than half a century.
The building, which occupies a large footprint bounded by Erie Street, McClurg Court and Ontario Street in the Streeterville neighborhood, is set to be replaced with two 515-foot residential towers.
The building was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Rebori, Dewey, Wentworth and McCormick. It was completed in 1924 as a horse stable for the Chicago Riding Club, with a sloped plane roof designed to provide light and ventilation, according to the American Institute of Architects Guide to Chicago.
Later, the building was converted to the
Chicago Arena, a multi-purpose sports and convention facility that included an ice rink and bowling alley. The arena hosted ice shows, water carnivals, rodeos and boxing matches, among other events.
CBS purchased the building in 1954 for $1,270,682, and spent the next two years gutting the building and turning it into a base for radio and television operations. WBBM-TV began broadcasting at 630 N. McClurg Ct. in March 1956, along with two radio sister stations.
WBBM-AM, later known as
Newsradio 780 occupied the second floor, while WBBM-FM, later called
B96, occupied the third.
On Sept. 26, 1960, CBS 2 hosted the
first televised presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, in Studio 1 at the McClurg Court facility. The debate was considered a major factor in the outcome of the election.
The building was also the site for a groundbreaking experiment in local television news in 1973. That year, General Manager Robert Wussler and News Director Van Gordon Sauter commissioned the demolition of a wall between two studios to construct a state-of-the-art working newsroom that doubled as an on-air set and featured the latest innovations in electronic news gathering. The newscasts that originated from the newsroom, anchored for many years by by
Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson, became among the most celebrated and emulated in the country.
The newsroom remained in use as an on-air set until 1991, and continued as the station's newsroom for the rest of CBS 2's time at the building.
The McClurg Court building was also the site of several famous musical recordings, among them the late 1960s pop hits "Higher and Higher" by Jackie Wilson and "Vehicle" by the Ides of March.
The historic Studio 1 was also used for the programs "Donahue" and "Siskel and Ebert," as well as the groundbreaking "Lee Phillip Show." In CBS 2's last few years at the McClurg Court building, the newscasts originated from Studio 1.
As the 21st century dawned,
the needs of modern broadcasting began to outgrow the building. CBS 2's sister radio stations moved to Two Prudential Plaza in 2006, and CBS 2 followed two and a half years later, moving into its present home at 22 W. Washington St. in the Loop.
The last broadcast from the McClurg Court building was on Sept. 20, 2008.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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