| Address | 7 W. Madison Street, Chicago, IL |
|---|---|
| Built | 1905 |
| Architect | Holabird & RocheWilliam Holabird; Martin Roche |
| Status | Designated Chicago Landmark |
| Designation Date | March 26, 1996 (Final)City Council Journal of the Proceedings, p. 19227 |
| Neighborhood | Loop |
| Type | Office and commercial building |
| Landmark ID | L-67 |
Direct quotes from the Chicago Landmark Designation Report
“Lastly, the Chicago Building exhibits the classic three-division formula for skyscrapers, established by Louis Sullivan: powerful base, repetitive office floors, great concluding cornice. Another prominent characteristic to note is the ornamentation of the Chicago Building.”
“The Chicago Building represents the type of design at which Holabird and Roche excelled: a building which satisfied contemporary business requirements by combining the structural innovations of the period with an outward appearance of dignity and solidity, rather than any display of extravagance or exceptional modernity which would be out place in a utilitarian structure.”
“CHICAGO BUILDING Located at the southwest corner of State and Madison streets in the block bounded by State, Madison, Dearborn, and Monroe streets. First National Bank of Chicago DEARBORN STREET MONROE STREET Inland Steet Majestic Bldg.”
“The verticality of the Chicago Building, with its minimal classical ornament, is a vivid contrast to the horizontality of the Carson's Store and the complex naturalistic ornament of its ground floor.”
“Martin Roche was chief designer although the two often shared this responsibility until the number of their commissions required the formation of a larger staff. With such buildings as the Tacoma, the Marquette, and others Holabird and Roche introduced a broad range of practical as well as structural innovations in their designs while they continued to clarify their conception of an appropriate aesthetic for the unprecedented architectural form of the highrise building.”
“Unlike these two buildings, the first of which was demolished in 1929 and the latter having undergone alterations that include the loss of its cornice, the Chicago Building is remarkably intact.”
“On its completion, Inland Architect and News Record commented in the July 1905 issue that the new Holabird and Roche building is: unique in its simplicity of line.”