Inspired
by the Button Tower of the cathedral at Rouen, France,
the Tribune Tower exemplifies the way American architects
have elevated office buildings to sacred status. Newspaper
publisher Colonel Robert R. McCormick held a $50,000.00
international competition to design, "the most beautiful
and eye-catching office building in the world." In
some estimations, it succeeded. The tower has all
of the traditional elements of a skyscraper plus heritage
expressed in flying buttresses, spires, grotesques,
and more. The base of the Tribune Tower contains 120
stones from important locations all around the world,
including the Parthenon, in Greece; the pyramids,
in Egypt; the Taj Mahal, in India; the Alamo, in San
Antonio; the Great Wall of China; and Injun Joe Cave
in Missouri.
-
February 1, 1989 - Named an official Chicago Landmark.
