Old Republic Building (Bell Building)

“The Steuben Club Building and the One LaSalle Street Building are both designated Chicago Landmarks. The Old Republic Building is among the earliest and finest examples of the work of Karl Vitzthum in the Classical Revival style and influenced his later designs for banks and other commercial buildings throughout the Midwest.”

“In 1956 it was sold to the Old Republic Life Insurance Company and has since been known as the Old Republic Building. Located on the northeast corner of North Michigan Avenue and East South Water Street, the Old Republic Building was one of the first tall buildings, along with the London Guarantee Building, to be constructed south of the Chicago River on North Michigan Avenue after its widening in the early 1920s.”

“The building exemplifies this important stage in the 1920s in the development of Michigan Avenue, conceived as part of the 1909 Plan of Chicago. The Old Republic Building, with its early and prominent location and high level of design and craftsmanship in terra cotta, helped to create a high-quality aesthetic and architectural standard for commercial structures on Michigan Avenue.”

“With partner John J. Burns, Karl Vitzthum designed many commercial, ecclesiastical, and residential buildings throughout Chicago and the Midwest. Karl Vitzthum's firm designed some of Chicago's most striking 1920's skyscrapers, ranging from the Classical Revival-style Old Republic Building and the Gothic Revival-style Steuben Club Building (1929) to the Art Deco-style One LaSalle Street Building (1930).”

“Vitzthum also designed prominent buildings throughout the Midwest such as the Sheboygan County Courthouse in Wisconsin (1934), the Elco Performing Arts Center in Elkhart, Indiana (1924), and the State Bank of Goshen, Indiana (1924), all of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.”

“Decorative details throughout the building, including columns, pilasters, brackets and fanciful ornament, also remain, as do original metal, double-hung windows. The entry to the building was modified when the Old Republic Life Insurance Company purchased the building in 1956.”

“(Both the Steuben Club and One LaSalle Street Buildings are designated Chicago Landmarks.) Karl Vitzthum is especially noted for his bank architecture, having designed over fifty banks throughout the Midwest including the State Bank of Goshen, Indiana, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Home Bank and Trust Co.”

“During this time, the Wacker Drive improvement had begun, which allowed for lower-level access to the building. Herbert E. Bell, founder and president of the Bell and Zoller Coal Company and the builder of the Old Republic Building, was born in Wisconsin in 1867.”

“Above the full twenty-third floor, a penthouse floor is set-back with a flat roof topped by a mechanical penthouse. When constructed in 1924, the Old Republic Building was by far the tallest structure in the eastern part of the downtown area and was visible for a great distance up and down Michigan Avenue.”