TOWER TRIBUNE

The Tribune Tower, one of Chicagoans' favorite buildings, was until 2018 the headquarters of the Chicago Tribune, a newspaper founded in 1847. Built in 1925, it was designed by two New York architects, John Mead Howells and Raymond M. Hood, following a national architectural competition in which more than 263 different firms participated. The Tribune offered a considerable sum of money for the best design. Hundreds of sketches were soon sent in, some of them based on models of Roman temples, Egyptian pyramids and even obelisks. The accepted design was the Gothic skyscraper that can be seen south of Michigan Avenue, across from the Wrigley Building.

Embedded in the sides of the building are pieces of rock and stone from the four corners of the globe: the pyramid of Cheops, the cathedral of Reims, the Forbidden City of Shanghai, the Colosseum in Rome, the temple of Petra and even a piece of moon rock. In 2018, the Chicago Tribune headquarters moved to Prudential Plaza, a complex of buildings overlooking Millennium Park. The old offices, in the Tribune Tower, will be converted back to condos.

Around the Tribune Tower, other media outlets are located such as NBC and WGN Radio (in the tower). The recording studio overlooks the street and its set is visible from the outside. One can thus attend the live broadcasts. The south side of the Magnificent Mile offers a splendid view of the south bank of the Chicago River.