The skyline of Chicago is made up of some of the tallest buildings and sky-scrapers in the world. One of the most unassuming structures in Chicago, that stands tall at 1,136 feet (346 m), is the Aon Centre, the third tallest building in all of Chicago.

Situated on East Randolph Street, this building was constructed in1973 to house the new headquarters of the Standard Oil Company of Indiana, and was known as 'Big Stan' for quite some time. Later, its name was changed and it came to be known as the Amoco building. In 1999, the Aon centre was rechristened and earned its current epithet, which it owes to its most famous tenant, Aon Corporation, a risk management firm.

With 83 floors to it, the Aon Centre looms large on the Chicago skyline and is home to some of the most famous names in the business industry of the town. Aon Center houses such leading organizations such as Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Agency.com, British Petroleum, successor to Amoco and Standard Oil of Ohio, Jones Lang LaSalle, which manages the building, Daniel Edelman Inc., Marketing Support Inc, ThoughtWorks, R.H. Donnelley, Strata Decision Technology, The Mid-America Club, Veolia, and Microsoft among others.

The Aon Centre has a central plaza where a 'sounding sculpture' has been put up by Harry Bertoia, which is made of metal rods that create some soothing and beautiful sound when wind passes through it. The Aon Centre is also well-recognized for the beautiful and colorful lights that it displays during festivities, such as orange lighting for Thanksgiving and green or red for Christmas among others.

A quiet, notable super tall skyscraper in Chicago, Aon Centre is a must-see when you are in town. In fact, it is such a soaring presence that you will hardly miss it when you venture outdoors!

Formerly known as Amoco Building, the Aon Center is a stunning modern skyscraper on 200 East Randolph Street. Aon Center is the third tallest building in the city with a height of 346 meters and 83 floors. You can enjoy terrific night scenes when Aon Center's top floors are lit with colors for holiday or a particular season. Green or red is used for Christmas. Orange is displayed for Thanksgiving. You will see pink during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Aon Center is mainly used for commercial office. The headquarters of the Aon Corporation is located in the building. Other well-known companies in the building include Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, BP and Microsoft and more. You can also find some stores and restaurants in the building.

General Information for Aon Center in Chicago

http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&lng=3&id=116756

Convenient public transportation methods are available for Chicago tourists to get to the Aon Center and nearby attractions of Chicago, like Millennium Park, Grant Park and Museum Campus etc. Self-driving tourists need to consider parking options at the building and nearby areas.

Aon Center Parking Garage under the building is the main parking facility for visitors. The entrance to the garage is located on Lower Lake Street and can be easily reached from Columbus Drive.

Parking up to 30 minutes charges $11. You need to pay $14 for parking up to one hour. Parking for 1 hour to 2 hours will cost you $18. The parking fee will rise to $23 for parking up to 3 hours. Parking less than 4 hours will be charged $25. Parking for 4 hours to 12 hours will consume $27. The maximum daily parking rate is $30. You can enjoy a flat rate of $13 if you park in after 6 PM and exit before 8 AM. If you enter the garage between 3 PM and 6 PM and drive out before 8 AM, you only need to pay $6. Remember the flat rates are only effective from Monday to Friday.

There are also economical methods to save your parking fees. Early bird special parking rate is available for you. A charge of $17 is enough for parking between 9:30 AM and 7 PM on weekdays. You can also choose unreserved monthly parking rate of $320 or reserved monthly parking rate of $425.

If you're not familiar with the driving directions to the Aon Center Parking Garage, follow the detailed directions below and get to the parking garage smoothly and quickly.

From the North - Drive along Lake Shore Drive S and take Randolph Drive Exit. Continue to drive westward for 2 blocks to Columbus Drive. When coming to the traffic light, you need to turn right and stay in the left lane. Drive another block to Lake Street and you should turn left at the traffic light. The entrance to the garage will be half block away on the left side of Lake Street.

From the South - When driving from this direction, you need to take Lake Shore Drive N towards Randolph Drive. Then you can follow the same directions for driving from the North.

From the West via I-90/94 - After exiting at Ohio Street, drive east towards Columbus Drive. Then you need to turn right at Fairbanks. Proceed southward and cross over the Chicago River until you come to the second traffic light at Lake Street. Turn right on Lake Street and drive for a short while, you will see the garage entrance on the left side of Lake Street.

From the West via I-290 - Drive along the Congress Parkway and continue to drive eastbound to Columbus Drive. After coming to the stop light, you need to turn left and continue to drive one block past Randolph Drive to Lake Street. Turn left at the traffic light and you will find the parking entrance on your left in a short way.

On-site five levels of covered parking garage are offered at Prudential Plaza adjacent to Aon Center. The Prudential Plaza garage is located on 130 E Randolph Street. The entrance to the garage lies on Mid Level Lake Street. Check out website below to download its driving directions.

Prudential Plaza Parking Garage Directions

http://pruplaza.bentleyforbes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/TO-PRU-GARAGE2.pdf

Parking less than half an hour will be charged $11. You need to pay $14 for parking less than one hour. Parking for 1 hour to 2 hours will cost $18. The rate will be $23 for parking for 2 hours to 4 hours. Parking between 4 hours and 12 hours will cost $26. The maximum parking fee in a day is $30. A special parking rate of $17 is available if you park before 8 AM. Evening parking rate is $13 if you enter after 4 PM and exit before 8 AM next morning.

More Parking Rates for Prudential Plaza Parking Garage

http://pruplaza.bentleyforbes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/RATES.pdf

Millennium Park Garage is located near the AON Building. You can find the garage in the middle of Millennium Park. You can enter via the entrance on S Columbus Drive. 2,126 parking spaces are offered for visitors.

Driving Directions and Rates for Millennium Park Garage

http://millenniumgarages.com/garages/millennium-park-garage.aspx

Grant Park North Garage close to the Prudential Building is another available parking facility. The automobile entrances to the garage are located on North Michigan Avenue. The garage offers1,850 parking spaces.

Explore More for Grant Park North Garage

http://millenniumgarages.com/garages/grant-park-north-garage.aspx

Other nearby parking garages include

- Michigan Plaza Parking Garage

- Grant Park South Garage

- East Monroe Street Garage

The Aon Center which was formerly known as the Amoco Building is the third largest building in Chicago. This massive structure built by architect Edward Durell Stone consists of 83 floors and a stands tall with a height of 346 meters. Location wise its perfect as it's around the Loop, Grant Park, Lake Michigan and Magnificent Mile. It has about 2,700000 rentable floor space which houses many offices.

The process of construction of this skyscraper is similar to the World Trade Center with the same square shape structure. Originally the building had marble cladding but only a year after its completion (1974), the cladding started to come out owing to the use of excessively thin marble sheet. It was later substituted with granite. The tenants of this building include Aon Corporation, British Petroleum, Jones Lang LaSalle, Veolia, Zeno Group, Microsoft, Strata Decision Technology, DDB Worldwide and many.

Are there any hotels near the Aon Center?

Well, there are plenty of such hotels around the Aon Center. Check out our recommended hotels and choose the one which provides you with the maximum Chicago hotel discounts.

- Peninsula Chicago [0.11 miles away]: One of the nascent 5-star hotels of Chicago with four restaurants, spa and health club.

http://www.peninsula.com/Chicago/en/default.aspx

- Swissotel Chicago [0.11 miles away]: This is one of the finest hotels in the city located close to the Navy Pier, Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park.

http://www.swissotelchicago.com/

- Hotel Monaco Chicago. [0.26 miles away]: This wonderful hotel has 7 meeting rooms which is ideal for occasions such as arranging conferences, weddings, receptions and parties

http://www.monaco-chicago.com/

- Palmer House Hilton in Chicago [0.41 miles away]: This pet friendly hotel is a must for the guests who hate to leave their pets alone at home.

http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/CHIPHHH-The-Palmer-House-Hilton-Illinois/index.do

- Hampton Inn and Suites in Chicago [0.58 miles away]: It's a great place to stay with the Ballo Italian on-site restaurant that will ensure that your every meal is delicious.

http://www.hamptoninn.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml?ctyhocn=CHIHSHX

AON center display a vision of clean vertical lines which rise from the top of Grant Park. AON center is found in the grant neighborhood in Randolph Street. It is one of the best places that you can go for site seeing. There are many places where you can grab a bit in this center. Restaurant here offer delicious meals and are very efficient. If you want to have a nice burger or a bowl of chill you can check in one of this restaurant and enjoy your meal.

You can check some of the Chicago hotel rates and determine which of the restaurant will be affordable. Here you will find a variety of dishes. Choosing what to eat in this restaurant might be tough for you since everything is appearing. You need to check on the reviews done about these hotels since some offer very low quality services and are very slow. Here is a list of some the restaurant in AON center.

Restaurant in AON center

- Cafe 200-AON Center Cafeteria

- Pennusular Chicago

- Sorffina market cafe

- Aria restaurant

- Park grill

- Cinnabon

http://www2.seamlessweb.com/athome/Sopraffina-Marketcaffe-E-Randolph-Chicago.1734.r

More information on the AON center restaurant

Restaurant in AON Center:

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=AON+center&find_loc=Chicago%2C+IL

Life in AON Center:

http://www.allbusiness.com/north-america/united-states-california-metro-areas/488604-1.html