Wrigley Building
The Wrigley Building is a skyscraper on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago ( Illinois ), across from the Tribune Tower . It was built as the headquarters of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company . Its address is 410 North Michigan Avenue.
When the site for the Wrigley Building was excavated in 1920, there were no large office buildings north of the Chicago River . The Michigan Avenue Bridge, which crosses the river just south of the Wrigley Building, was still under construction. The country has been prepared by chewing gum - magnate William Wrigley Jr. even his gum company elected office. The building was planned by the architects Graham, Anderson, Probst & White . The shape was based on the Giralda tower of the Cathedral of Seville ( Spain ), combined with elements of the French Renaissance.
The 133.5 meter high south tower was completed in April 1921, the 89.6 meter high north tower in May 1924. Passages between the towers were built on the ground floor and third floor. In 1931 another passage was built on the 14th floor to connect the offices of a bank . This was necessary to comply with a Chicago regulation on bank branches.
The two towers are not the same height. The south tower has 30 floors, the north tower 21. The south tower has a tower clock with dials in all directions. Each dial is almost six meters in diameter. The terracotta cladding gives the facade its glossy white appearance. Occasionally the whole building is hand washed to preserve the terracotta siding. The building is illuminated by floodlights at night .
The Wrigley Building was Chicago's first air-conditioned office building. If you enter the building through the central entrance, you are in a closed park area from which you can overlook the Chicago River.
At the base of the south tower is a stairwell that leads down to the Chicago River. There are boat tours on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan .
Web links
- History of the Wrigley Building ( December 31, 2006 memento in the Internet Archive )
Coordinates: 41 ° 53 ′ 22 " N , 87 ° 37 ′ 30" W.