Chicago & Midwest + Downtown + Office | May 10, 2021

Bicycling Accident Claims Architect Helmut Jahn, 81

World-renowned architect Helmut Jahn, who made his mark both in Chicago and globally, was killed in a bicycling accident Saturday afternoon in the city’s western suburbs, the Chicago Tribune reported. Jahn was 81.

Among Jahn’s highest-profile early accomplishments in Chicago was the James R. Thompson Center, a 1.2-million-square-foot office building that the architect said made his reputation internationally and killed it in Chicago. He went onto other successes locally, though, including the Xerox Centre downtown and the United Airlines Terminal at O’Hare International Airport.

Jahn was also behind the Sony Center in Berlin, One Liberty Place in Philadelphia and the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted, “Jahn was one of the most inventive Chicago architects whose impact on the city – from the skyline to the O’Hare tunnel – will never be forgotten. His architectural footprint will be felt & seen across the globe for generations to come.”

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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 13-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 15-20 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

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