Known for its world-renowned architecture, Chicago has more than its fair share of stellar buildings and towers. From the Willis Tower downtown, to the Frederick C. Robie House out in the neighborhoods, famous architects keep coming back to put their mark on our skyline. We have dozens of iconic buildings around our city, but there can only be one that is the best!
In the spirit of March Madness, it’s time to figure out exactly which building is the favorite. With the bracket filled by all of you readers, it’s time to start voting!
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(1) Tribune Tower
Stats:
435 N. Michigan Ave
Height: 463 feet
Constructed: 1925
Architect: Howells and Hood
As the winning submission to the Chicago Tribune’s international design competition, Howells and Hood’s neo-Gothic design features soaring vertical lines, flying buttresses, and rich ornamentation. At the base of the building, fragments of 149 famous buildings are integrated into the facade, including the Berlin Wall, the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, Hagia Sophia, and Great Wall of China to name a few. In 2018, the Chicago Tribune moved out and developers CIM Group and Golub & Company converted the building into 162 condominiums. Solomon Cordwell Buenz and Vinci Hamp Architects led the conversion.
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(9) Carson Pirie Scott Building
Stats:
1 S. State St
Height: 207 feet
Constructed: 1903
Architect: Louis Sullivan
Now known as the Sullivan Center, the former Carson Pirie Scott department store building is a State Street landmark, recognized especially by its richly ornamented, cast-iron entrance at the corner of Madison Street. The building’s signature features are marked by Sullivan’s organic ornament, whose design was inspired by plants native to the Midwestern prairie. The bottom floors are clad in dark green cast iron, softened by elaborate foliated patterns. The corner entrance rotunda is emphasized with additional ornament and crowned by a decorative overhanging cornice.
Cast your vote below!