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Last week I did a post (Part I) on building tops culled my more than 22,000 images of Chicago. In continuation, I dug up four more building tops.
As those close to me know all too well, I am a Modernist at heart. But, no matter my lust for the work of Meis Van der Rohe, I can and do appreciate where Modernism came from… Classicism. The Jewelers Building has one of the most over the top Baroque office towers in Chicago, or anywhere for that matter. Completed in 1926, this wedding cake of a building is proof that excess can be done well. This shot taken last winter, shows a slight dusting of snow on the top of the dome, like frosting on a wedding cake.
While not exactly a tower, the top corner of the Rookery looms over the intersection of LaSalle and Adams. Completed in 1888, The Rookery is unique for many reasons, not the least of which is its light court redesigned in 1905 by Frank Lloyd Wright. This interior is the only part of the Loop touched by Wright that I know of.
Tall and skinny is the Mather Tower from 1928; The building consists of a skinny 24 story base, topped by an even skinnier 18 story octagonal tower. The tower is said to have the smallest office floors in the city. In 2000, the top four floors were removed because of decay, and were later reconstructed and finished off when a helicopter lifted a new steel top in the fall of 2002. It isn’t always obvious from the ground, but I find it annoying that they couldn’t match the paint color on the new top to the terra cotta of the original tower. Check out this historic photo.
Developed by the estate of Marshall Field, the Pittsfield Building (1927) was named after Pittsfield, MA, Where Marshall Field got his first job. This building, for many years stood out on the skyline of the city as the tallest building in this part of the Loop. The lobby features a five-story atrium done in a Spanish Gothic style.
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