Once towering Rolling Meadows office building reduced to rubble

For nearly 45 years the 10-story office tower stood high above Interstate 90 in Rolling Meadows, a testament to the Northwest suburbs’ growing presence as a center of commerce in the 1970s.

By Tuesday, it was nothing more than a large pile of rubble.

Built in 1979 at 2550 Golf Road and one half of what had been called the Meadows Corporate Center, the tower’s fate was sealed earlier this year when its owner, commercial insurance brokerage Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., announced it would tear down the structure.

Gallagher paid $13 million to acquire the building in 2022. The company wanted the property to have greater control over development surrounding its new global headquarters, the 11-story building at 2850 Golf Road.

Company officials haven't shared what their plans are for the property, which will become a grass lot after the remains of the demolished tower are hauled away.