Tribune Tower (Chicago Tribune)
Chicago, IL 60611-4024
Phone: (312) 222-9100
- Directions:
- El: Red Line to Grand; bus: 3, 145, 146, 151, 157 to Trib/Wrigley; 6 to Michigan Ave/Wacker Dr; 29, 65 to Lower Michigan Ave; 56 to Michigan Ave/South Water St; 62 to Kinzie St/State St
- Hours:
- Mon-Fri 7:30am-5:30pm
Editorial Review for Tribune Tower (Chicago Tribune) – by Citysearch Staff
The History
Its striking neo-gothic design was the result of an international competition held in 1922 by Tribune co-editors Robert McCormick and Joseph Patterson, who asked contestants to "design the most beautiful and distinctive building in the world." The $100,000 booty went to two New York architects, John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood. Architect Louis Sullivan, late in his life, was quoted as saying, "It is an imaginary structure--not imaginative."
In the Tower
Besides the Chicago Tribune, the tower is also home to WGN (720 AM). Passers-by can witness live broadcasts from the sidewalk through a plate glass window. Also at ground level is a gift shop selling Tribune T-shirts, mugs, little newspaper trucks, and Headliner's, a cafeteria that serves Starbucks coffee and heavy doses of CLTV, shown on the television monitors located throughout the seating area.
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Insider Tips
ToursThe newsroom is closed to the public, but tours of the Tribune's printing plant at Chicago Avenue and Halsted Street can be arramged by calling (312) 222-2116.
Around the WorldMcCormick had builders include stones at street level from historical structures around the world, including the Taj Mahal, Westminster Abbey, the Great Wall of China, the Parthenon and the Alamo.
