Austin 1900 Building
Distribution Center in Chicago, IL · 1900 n. Austin · 60639
At a glance
Austin 1900 Building is a 750,000-square-foot distribution center at 1900 n. Austin in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1962. In its 2015 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 97 out of 100 (grade A), a site energy-use intensity of 31.3 kBtu/ft² and 1,882 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 94% of the 2,464 scored buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2015
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 97 (band A) |
| Site EUI | 31.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 44.8 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,882 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 2.5 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,255,048 kWh |
| Natural gas | 192,264 therms |
| Gross floor area | 750,000 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101181:2015 |
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.
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Location
- Address
- 1900 n. Austin
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60639
- Coordinates
- 41.91552, -87.77917
Within ~1 km
Nearby benchmarked buildings
- Warren Projectscore 94
Multifamily Housing · 78,628 sq ft
See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Austin 1900 Building compare with other buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 3,852 benchmarked buildings in Chicago. Austin 1900 Building's ENERGY STAR score of 97 compares with an average of 60 across the 2,464 that report a score. Its site EUI of 31.3 kBtu/ft² is about 63% below the average of 84.4 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 2.5 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 67% below the group average of 7.5 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 750,000 sq ft, it is about 207% above the average floor area of 244,008 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1962, 5 years earlier than the group's average year built (1967). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 4,082 distribution center buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 65 and a site EUI of 24.2 kBtu/ft².
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 97 mean?
ENERGY STAR scores run from 1 to 100 and are computed by the EPA's Portfolio Manager as a percentile against similar buildings nationwide, adjusted for climate, size and use: a score of 97 means the building performs better than about 97% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 97 falls in band A — high performer (85–100). Scores of 75 or higher meet the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification; certification itself is a separate, verified application that the disclosure does not record. In Chicago, 35% of scored buildings are at 75 or above.
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. Austin 1900 Building's 31.3 kBtu/ft² across 750,000 sq ft works out to about 23.5 billion Btu (6,880 MWh-equivalent) in 2015. Its source EUI of 44.8 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,255,048 kWh of electricity and 192,264 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Austin 1900 Building to report its energy use?
Austin 1900 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 2015 disclosure (source record chicago:101181:2015). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More distribution center buildings in Chicago
Frequently asked questions
What is Austin 1900 Building's energy grade?
Austin 1900 Building scores 97 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band A, high performer (85–100) — in its 2015 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does Austin 1900 Building use?
Its 2015 site energy-use intensity was 31.3 kBtu/ft² (44.8 kBtu/ft² source) across 750,000 sq ft, including 1,255,048 kWh of electricity and 192,264 therms of natural gas.
What are Austin 1900 Building's carbon emissions?
Austin 1900 Building reported 1,882 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (2.5 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2015.
Where is Austin 1900 Building?
Austin 1900 Building is at 1900 n. Austin, in Chicago, Illinois 60639. Its coordinates are 41.91552, -87.77917 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Austin 1900 Building and when was it built?
Austin 1900 Building has 750,000 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2015 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1962 as its year built. It is classed as distribution center.
Is Austin 1900 Building covered by the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance?
Yes — it appears in the 2015 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, “Austin 1900 Building, Chicago, Illinois — 2015 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/austin-1900-building-305325d9 (data as of October 2, 2026).