Auditorium Building
College/University in Chicago, IL · 430 S. Michigan Ave · 60605
At a glance
Auditorium Building is a 598,474-square-foot college/university building at 430 S. Michigan Ave in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1889. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 38.2 kBtu/ft² and 2,346 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 38.2 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 78.2 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 2,346 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 3.9 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 3,824,875 kWh |
| Natural gas | 97,826 therms |
| Water use | 13,545 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 598,474 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101784:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | — | 38.2 kBtu/ft² | 2,346 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 41.7 kBtu/ft² | 2,420 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 40.7 kBtu/ft² | 2,488 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 36.3 kBtu/ft² | 2,248 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 42.3 kBtu/ft² | 2,873 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 51.2 kBtu/ft² | 3,593 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 53.8 kBtu/ft² | 4,322 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 58.5 kBtu/ft² | 4,787 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 55.7 kBtu/ft² | 5,059 tCO₂e | |
| 2014 | — | 65.0 kBtu/ft² | 5,633 tCO₂e |
Compliance context
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
Own or manage this building? Claim it to correct the record and get compliance alerts.
Location
- Address
- 430 S. Michigan Ave
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60605
- Coordinates
- 41.86009, -87.62864
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Auditorium Building compare with other college/university buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 92 college/university buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Its site EUI of 38.2 kBtu/ft² is about 60% below the average of 96.2 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 3.9 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 56% below the group average of 8.9 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 598,474 sq ft, it is about twice the average floor area of 280,683 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1889, 81 years earlier than the group's average year built (1970). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 2,113 college/university buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 68 and a site EUI of 98.7 kBtu/ft².
How has Auditorium Building's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 10 Chicago disclosures for Auditorium Building, covering report years 2014–2023. Site EUI moved from 65.0 kBtu/ft² (2014) to 38.2 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 41% decrease. Reported emissions went from 5,633 tCO₂e to 2,346 tCO₂e over the same span (down 58%).
What does a site EUI of 38.2 kBtu/ft² mean?
Site energy-use intensity (EUI) is the energy a building uses on site in a year divided by its floor area, in thousand Btu per square foot — lower is more efficient. Auditorium Building's 38.2 kBtu/ft² across 598,474 sq ft works out to about 22.9 billion Btu (6,700 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 78.2 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 3,824,875 kWh of electricity, 97,826 therms of natural gas and 13,545 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires Auditorium Building to report its energy use?
Auditorium Building reports under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance, the legal basis of the Chicago Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2023 disclosure (source record chicago:101784:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More college/university buildings in Chicago
- New Malcolm X College· 545,000 sq ft · EUI 83.0 kBtu/ft²
- Wright College· 544,380 sq ft · EUI 109.0 kBtu/ft²
- Old Malcolm X College· 541,575 sq ft
- Richard J. Daley College & Manufacturing Technology and Engineering Center· 501,591 sq ft · EUI 50.3 kBtu/ft²
- Kennedy-King College· 496,817 sq ft · EUI 196.8 kBtu/ft²
- St. Xavier University· 468,006 sq ft · EUI 118.7 kBtu/ft²
- College/University buildings in Chicago· 92 benchmarked
- All Chicago benchmarked buildings· Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
- Most efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Least efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Biggest emitters in Chicago
Frequently asked questions
What is Auditorium Building's energy grade?
Auditorium Building did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2023 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 38.2 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does Auditorium Building use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 38.2 kBtu/ft² (78.2 kBtu/ft² source) across 598,474 sq ft, including 3,824,875 kWh of electricity and 97,826 therms of natural gas.
What are Auditorium Building's carbon emissions?
Auditorium Building reported 2,346 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (3.9 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Auditorium Building?
Auditorium Building is at 430 S. Michigan Ave, in Chicago, Illinois 60605. Its coordinates are 41.86009, -87.62864 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Auditorium Building and when was it built?
Auditorium Building has 598,474 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1889 as its year built. It is classed as college/university.
Is Auditorium Building covered by the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance?
Yes — it appears in the 2023 Chicago Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance.
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About this data
Source: Chicago Energy Benchmarking (Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “Auditorium Building, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/auditorium-building-ae504b34 (data as of October 2, 2026).