At the far end of the Illinois Center complex is the best building of the bunch. The Swissotel is a large silver glass tower with a triangular form that gives it interesting views both from within and without. The triangle shape is necessitated by the peculiarities of the building site. It also has the effect of humanizing what would be yet another dark glass box. In that sense, the silvered windows provide an effective transition between the dark glowering office blocks at the city end of the Illinois Center and the light and open spaces available as the city reaches the extremities of Lake Michigan.

It's said that there are no bad views from this Swisshotel. Rooms offer lake, river, and city vistas. But there are some places with no windows at all. Most notably, one of the restaurants which is below street level.

But it's the triangle that gets all the attention. Astute observers of Chicago architecture probably sense a link between this hotel and the similarly triangle-shaped Metropolitan Correctional Center. That link is local architectural star Harry Weese. It was his mind that created both of these buildings 11 years apart. Just like the jail, a triangle was perfect for this project in order to minimize hallway lengths. Long tunnel-like hallways are a security risk in jails. In hotels they are merely an aesthetic liability.