Chicago Building

Click for Larger View     Address: 7 W. Madison St.
Year Built: 1904-05
Architect: Holabird & Roche
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: March 26, 1996

Click for Larger View An excellent and very visible example of the internationally recognized architectural style known as the Chicago School. The building's features epitomize this style: large "Chicago windows," metal-frame construction, distinctive bays, and terra cotta cladding. The building's designers were one of the firms instrumental in developing the Chicago School. The building is prominently sited on the southwest corner of State and Madison, its visibility heightened by a jog in the alignment of State Street. The building is a critical component of a grouping of significant structures--which include Carson Pirie Scott and the former Mandel Brothers Store--at what was once labeled the "World's Busiest Corner."

Detail of Bay Windows

Holabird &
Roche/Root

 
Early Skyscrapers
Terra Cotta
The Loop
 
1.Madison Street Facade, 1982, photo by Stephen Beal
2.Lower Floors, circa 1915
3.Detail of Bay Windows, 1982, photo by Stephen Beal