Symphony Center
Performing Arts in Chicago, IL · 220 South Michigan Avenue · 60604
At a glance
Symphony Center is a 294,211-square-foot performing arts building at 220 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1997. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 136.3 kBtu/ft² and 3,094 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 136.3 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 204.2 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 3,094 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 10.5 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 3,267,034 kWh |
| Natural gas | 180,186 therms |
| Gross floor area | 294,211 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:160197:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | — | 136.3 kBtu/ft² | 3,094 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 142.8 kBtu/ft² | 3,174 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 108.3 kBtu/ft² | 2,556 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 104.5 kBtu/ft² | 2,593 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 152.3 kBtu/ft² | 3,891 tCO₂e | |
| 2018 | — | 155.1 kBtu/ft² | 4,176 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 155.9 kBtu/ft² | 4,510 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 150.0 kBtu/ft² | 4,368 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 152.2 kBtu/ft² | 4,761 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
- 220 South Michigan Avenue
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60604
- Coordinates
- 41.89205, -87.68318
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does Symphony Center compare with other performing arts buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 10 performing arts buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Its site EUI of 136.3 kBtu/ft² is about 49% above the average of 91.5 kBtu/ft² — it uses more energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 10.5 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 30% above the group average of 8.1 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 294,211 sq ft, it is about 38% above the average floor area of 212,546 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1997, 11 years later than the group's average year built (1987).
How has Symphony Center's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for Symphony Center, covering report years 2015–2023. Site EUI moved from 152.2 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 136.3 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 10% decrease. Reported emissions went from 4,761 tCO₂e to 3,094 tCO₂e over the same span (down 35%).
What does a site EUI of 136.3 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. Symphony Center's 136.3 kBtu/ft² across 294,211 sq ft works out to about 40.1 billion Btu (11,752 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 204.2 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 3,267,034 kWh of electricity and 180,186 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires Symphony Center to report its energy use?
Symphony 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:160197:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More performing arts buildings in Chicago
- Logan Arts Center· 188,821 sq ft · EUI 78.6 kBtu/ft²
- Holtschneider Performance Center· 185,000 sq ft · EUI 112.4 kBtu/ft²
- Harris Theater for Music and Dance· 141,322 sq ft · EUI 41.6 kBtu/ft²
- 24 W. Randolph· 83,411 sq ft · EUI 144.2 kBtu/ft²
- House of Blues Chicago· 54,600 sq ft · EUI 142.4 kBtu/ft²
- Steppenwolf Theatre Company Liz and Eric Lefkofsky Arts and Education Center· 53,000 sq ft · EUI 69.0 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 Symphony Center's energy grade?
Symphony Center did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2023 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 136.3 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does Symphony Center use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 136.3 kBtu/ft² (204.2 kBtu/ft² source) across 294,211 sq ft, including 3,267,034 kWh of electricity and 180,186 therms of natural gas.
What are Symphony Center's carbon emissions?
Symphony Center reported 3,094 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (10.5 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is Symphony Center?
Symphony Center is at 220 South Michigan Avenue, in Chicago, Illinois 60604. Its coordinates are 41.89205, -87.68318 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is Symphony Center and when was it built?
Symphony Center has 294,211 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1997 as its year built. It is classed as performing arts.
Is Symphony 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, “Symphony Center, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/symphony-center-fd3940f9 (data as of October 2, 2026).