The Cook County Building was built in 1908. The west half of the building is occupied by City Hall and the east half is occupied by Cook County. The facade of this historic landmark building is of classic Greek Revival style and consists of granite and terra cotta with wood frame windows.

The condition assessment program included 100 percent close-up inspection of the terra cotta, granite, window frames and brickwork from swing stage. In addition, several inspection openings were made to evaluate the condition of steel back-up supports and anchorages. A material testing program was conducted to evaluate terra cotta, granite and cleaning methods. A comprehensive renovation program was developed to include repair/replacement and cleaning of terra cotta, granite and brickwork. The program also included renovation of all exterior window wood frames, replacement of existing glass with insulating glass, and replacement of windows in the lightcourts. A budget of $20 million was established for the renovation project.