Hosted by the Chicago Midwest Chapter
Virtual Sketching with the ICAA Chicago: The Wrigley Building
The Chicago-Midwest ICAA would like to invite you to join us for our weekly virtual sketching exercise. This week's subject is the The Wrigley Building whose bell tower is styled after the Giralda Tower of the Seville, Spain cathedral.
When Michigan Avenue was extended north of the river, it opened up a gritty landscape of small buildings and industry to a complete transformation. Chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr. touched off the boom when he decided to build a new headquarters for his company on an oddly shaped lot west of Michigan Avenue and just north of the river. It was the first, and quite possibly the finest, of the buildings that have come to define the Magnificent Mile.
Such a prominent site demanded a notable building, and architects Graham, Anderson, Probst & White delivered. Modern in its height and steel-frame construction, the Wrigley Building's facade nonetheless bears the weight of history. As a young man, Wrigley visited the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 and never forgot the famed White City or its nighttime light displays. Those memories live on in his namesake building. Six different shades of gleaming white terra cotta become brighter as the building rises, and its facade is illuminated at night.
A second tower was commissioned shortly after the completion of the first, presenting a harmonious front to Michigan Avenue. The two buildings are linked by a third-floor bridge. They’ve been immaculately maintained since completion with regular cleanings to keep them sparkling white. A thorough restoration followed the Wrigley Company’s recent sale of the building, and it received official Chicago Landmark status in 2012.
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