Chicago Cultural Center
Other - Entertainment/Public Assembly in Chicago, IL · 78 E. Washington St. · 60602
At a glance
Chicago Cultural Center is a 240,000-square-foot other - entertainment/public assembly building at 78 E. Washington St. in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1897. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 70.9 kBtu/ft² and 1,665 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 70.9 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 138.3 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,665 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 6.9 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 2,568,635 kWh |
| Natural gas | 82,495 therms |
| Gross floor area | 240,000 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:101960:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | — | 70.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,665 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 78.2 kBtu/ft² | 1,730 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 81.5 kBtu/ft² | 1,935 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 79.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,938 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 67.3 kBtu/ft² | 2,130 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 48.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,796 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 69.1 kBtu/ft² | 2,228 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 85.5 kBtu/ft² | 2,465 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 98.3 kBtu/ft² | 3,276 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
- 78 E. Washington St.
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60602
- Coordinates
- 41.89007, -87.71639
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Chicago Cultural Center compare with other other - entertainment/public assembly buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 5 other - entertainment/public assembly buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Its site EUI of 70.9 kBtu/ft² is about 31% below the average of 102.5 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 6.9 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 41% below the group average of 11.6 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 240,000 sq ft, it is about 84% above the average floor area of 130,346 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1897, 19 years earlier than the group's average year built (1916).
How has Chicago Cultural Center's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for Chicago Cultural Center, covering report years 2015–2023. Site EUI moved from 98.3 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 70.9 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 28% decrease. Reported emissions went from 3,276 tCO₂e to 1,665 tCO₂e over the same span (down 49%).
What does a site EUI of 70.9 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. Chicago Cultural Center's 70.9 kBtu/ft² across 240,000 sq ft works out to about 17 billion Btu (4,987 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 138.3 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 2,568,635 kWh of electricity and 82,495 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Chicago Cultural Center to report its energy use?
Chicago Cultural Center 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:101960:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More other - entertainment/public assembly buildings in Chicago
- Harpo Studios· 132,726 sq ft · EUI 116.8 kBtu/ft²
- Ida Noyes Hall· 91,970 sq ft · EUI 101.0 kBtu/ft²
- MARTIN LUTHER KING COMMUNITY CENTER· 56,687 sq ft · EUI 121.1 kBtu/ft²
- 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 Chicago Cultural Center's energy grade?
Chicago Cultural Center did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2023 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 70.9 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does Chicago Cultural Center use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 70.9 kBtu/ft² (138.3 kBtu/ft² source) across 240,000 sq ft, including 2,568,635 kWh of electricity and 82,495 therms of natural gas.
What are Chicago Cultural Center's carbon emissions?
Chicago Cultural Center reported 1,665 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (6.9 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Chicago Cultural Center?
Chicago Cultural Center is at 78 E. Washington St., in Chicago, Illinois 60602. Its coordinates are 41.89007, -87.71639 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Chicago Cultural Center and when was it built?
Chicago Cultural Center has 240,000 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1897 as its year built. It is classed as other - entertainment/public assembly.
Is Chicago Cultural Center 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, “Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/chicago-cultural-center-7447ba72 (data as of October 2, 2026).