| Address | 75 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL |
|---|---|
| Built | 1928 |
| Architect | Herbert Hugh Riddle |
| Status | Designated Chicago Landmark |
| Designation Date | March 7, 2001 (Final)City Council Journal of the Proceedings, p. 53461 |
| Neighborhood | Loop |
| Type | Office and commercial building |
| Landmark ID | L-142 |
Interior spaces protected by this designation
- all exterior building elevations, including rooflines. the first floor entrance vestibule and lobby of the building, including elevator doors and main stairway to second floor.
Mather Tower, Designation Report, Commission on Chicago Landmarks, December 2000, p. 7.
Direct quotes from the Chicago Landmark Designation Report
“Mather Tower, with its tall "spire-like" tower, provides one of the most dramatic examples of the influence of the 1923 Chicago Zoning Ordinance on the design of Chicago skyscrapers in the 1920's.”
“For this reason, there is introduced the unusual feature of anchoring the four corner columns deeply into the piers." Additional wind bracing was "applied at connections to both the interior and exterior columns." Mather Tower is considered to be the finest example of the work of Chicago architect Herbert Hugh Riddle.”
“During more than 30 years in business, Hubert Hugh Riddle (1875-1939), working alone and as a partner in the firm of Riddle & Riddle, planned and executed many important commissions including innovative residential, religious, and institutional structures, many of Gothic inspiration.”
“In 1881 he incorporated the Mather Stock Car Company to manufacture railroad livestock cars which he designed to provide for more humane shipment of animals. The company, which also went on to manufacture Mather's designs for improved refrigeration cars for the transport of meats, developed into one of the largest private railroad car companies in the country.”
“In the 1920's, the Tribune Tower (1922-25, Hood and Howells), the result of an international competition, became an instant Chicago "landmark" with its elaborate Gothic top. Although it came in second in the Tribune Tower competition, Eliel Saarinen's entry was even more influential in its mix of setbacks, verticality, and Gothic ornament, a combination that seemed made for skyscrapers.”
“Richly clad in stylized Gothic terra cotta, Mather is one of Chicago's best "Modernistic" skyscrapers, combining modern form with lush historic ornament both in its exterior and interior.”
“The skyscraper, with its primary facade and tower clad in white terra cotta and detailed with Gothic ornament, rests on rock caissons and two basements. The base of the building has setbacks at the rear of the 9th and 16th stories.”
“Mather Tower is an excellent example of a 1920's "Modernistic" skyscraper, which combines a modern setback-style form with an exterior clad by more traditional, Gothic-style, terra cotta ornament.”
“The Century of Progress Guide to Chicago, written for visitors to the world's fair in 1933, referred to Mather Tower as "the needle skyscraper" and as the most photographed building in Chicago.”
“A very high percentage of the distinguishing features of this tower remain, including its famous slender silhouette, white terra cotta sheathing and Gothic ornament. The bronze storefronts have retained their design and materials, despite many changes in retail use.”
What other designation reports say about this building
“…Wrigley Building (1923), as well as Gothic-style skyscrapers such as the Pittsfield Building (55 E. Washington, GAPW, 1927), and Mather Tower (75 E. Wacker, Herbert Riddle, 1928), as well as Vitzthum's own Steuben Club Building (1929).”