The Seneca
Multifamily Housing in Chicago, IL · 200 E Chestnut Street · 60611
At a glance
The Seneca is a 196,870-square-foot multifamily housing building at 200 E Chestnut Street in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1924. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported an ENERGY STAR score of 42 out of 100 (grade D), a site energy-use intensity of 78.6 kBtu/ft² and 1,378 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions. That score is higher than 23% of the 1,472 scored multifamily housing buildings in Chicago.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | 42 (band D) |
| Site EUI | 78.6 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 139.5 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 1,378 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 7.0 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 1,877,981 kWh |
| Natural gas | 90,589 therms |
| Water use | 9,386 kgal |
| Gross floor area | 196,870 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:160342:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | 42 | +36 | 78.6 kBtu/ft² | 1,378 tCO₂e |
| 2022 | 6 | -7 | 129.9 kBtu/ft² | 1,830 tCO₂e |
| 2021 | 13 | -10 | 119.7 kBtu/ft² | 1,699 tCO₂e |
| 2020 | 23 | +9 | 114.0 kBtu/ft² | 1,620 tCO₂e |
| 2019 | 14 | +2 | 128.1 kBtu/ft² | — |
| 2018 | 12 | +11 | 129.1 kBtu/ft² | 1,938 tCO₂e |
| 2017 | 1 | -9 | 181.8 kBtu/ft² | 2,448 tCO₂e |
| 2016 | 10 | 130.5 kBtu/ft² | 2,047 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.
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Location
- Address
- 200 E Chestnut Street
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60611
- Coordinates
- 42.01938, -87.69207
Within ~1 km
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- Old Town Park 2score 84
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- 6900 S Crandonscore 24
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- IIT Towerscore —
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does The Seneca compare with other multifamily housing buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 1,515 multifamily housing buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. The Seneca's ENERGY STAR score of 42 compares with an average of 62 across the 1,472 that report a score; it scores higher than 23% of them and lower than 76%. Its site EUI of 78.6 kBtu/ft² is roughly in line with the average of 72.0 kBtu/ft². Its emissions intensity of 7.0 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 21% above the group average of 5.8 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 196,870 sq ft, it is roughly in line with the average floor area of 206,097 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1924, 47 years earlier than the group's average year built (1971). Across all 24 jurisdictions BuildingCensus covers, the 59,945 multifamily housing buildings average an ENERGY STAR score of 70 and a site EUI of 59.0 kBtu/ft².
How has The Seneca's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 8 Chicago disclosures for The Seneca, covering report years 2016–2023. Its ENERGY STAR score went from 10 in 2016 to 42 in 2023 (+32 points). Site EUI moved from 130.5 kBtu/ft² (2016) to 78.6 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 40% decrease. Reported emissions went from 2,047 tCO₂e to 1,378 tCO₂e over the same span (down 33%).
What does an ENERGY STAR score of 42 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 42 means the building performs better than about 42% of its national peers. BuildingCensus bands the score into report-card grades; 42 falls in band D — lowest band (1–54). It sits 33 points below 75, the threshold for ENERGY STAR certification. 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. The Seneca's 78.6 kBtu/ft² across 196,870 sq ft works out to about 15.5 billion Btu (4,535 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 139.5 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 1,877,981 kWh of electricity, 90,589 therms of natural gas and 9,386 thousand gallons of water for the year.
Which law requires The Seneca to report its energy use?
The Seneca 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:160342:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More multifamily housing buildings in Chicago
- Dwight Lofts (dw26)· 196,808 sq ft · score 21 (D)
- (IL0602) - Erie on the Park (510 W Erie)· 196,215 sq ft · score 40 (D)
- The Marlborough· 196,000 sq ft · score 75 (B)
- JeffJack· 195,769 sq ft · score 61 (C)
- Harold Washington Apartments· 195,630 sq ft · score 93 (A)
- 4 East Elm· 195,383 sq ft · score 71 (B)
- Multifamily Housing buildings in Chicago· 1,515 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 The Seneca's energy grade?
The Seneca scores 42 out of 100 on ENERGY STAR — band D, lowest band (1–54) — in its 2023 Chicago disclosure. Scores are national percentiles against similar buildings; 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification.
How much energy does The Seneca use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 78.6 kBtu/ft² (139.5 kBtu/ft² source) across 196,870 sq ft, including 1,877,981 kWh of electricity and 90,589 therms of natural gas.
What are The Seneca's carbon emissions?
The Seneca reported 1,378 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (7.0 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is The Seneca?
The Seneca is at 200 E Chestnut Street, in Chicago, Illinois 60611. Its coordinates are 42.01938, -87.69207 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is The Seneca and when was it built?
The Seneca has 196,870 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1924 as its year built. It is classed as multifamily housing.
Is The Seneca 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, “The Seneca, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/the-seneca-86463242 (data as of October 2, 2026).