Marquette Building - Chicago School Exemplar

Stop on Historic Chicago Loop Walking Tour, a free self-guided tour.

Walk north to 140 South Dearborn Street to visit the Marquette Building, a 17-story Chicago School masterpiece by Holabird & Roche completed in 1895. This steel-frame building showcases the Chicago window, a signature design featuring a large fixed center pane flanked by smaller operable windows. The terra cotta facade combines functionality with artistic beauty. The building's most extraordinary feature is the two-story lobby decorated with bronze reliefs and Tiffany mosaic panels depicting Father Jacques Marquette's 1674-75 exploration of the Mississippi River and interactions with Native Americans. These mosaics, designed by J.A. Holzer, represent some of the finest Tiffany work in any building. The lobby's marble columns, bronze elevator doors, and ornate metalwork demonstrate the era's craftsmanship. The building honored the French Jesuit explorer for whom it was named. The Marquette exemplifies the Chicago School's philosophy maximizing natural light, emphasizing vertical lines, and minimizing ornament. The building pioneered wind bracing techniques making tall buildings more stable. Despite being over 125 years old, the building remains fully occupied, proving the timeless functionality of good design. The building earned designation as a Chicago Landmark and National Historic Landmark.