Tribune Tower - Neo-Gothic Skyscraper

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

Adjacent to the Wrigley Building stands Tribune Tower, the 1925 neo-Gothic masterpiece that housed the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Architects John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood won an international design competition in 1922 to create this 34-story landmark. The building's flying buttresses, gargoyles, and intricate stone carvings echo medieval cathedrals while housing modern steel-frame construction. The tower's crown features a distinctive octagonal design with ornate stonework. Look for the building's most unusual feature embedded stones from famous sites worldwide including the Great Wall of China, the Parthenon, the Taj Mahal, and Westminster Abbey. Tribune correspondents collected these fragments during their travels, creating a physical timeline of human civilization. The building represents Chicago journalism's golden age when newspapers wielded enormous influence. The Gothic Revival style contrasts sharply with the emerging modernist movement, representing tradition in an era of rapid change. The tower's design influenced numerous other skyscrapers across America. In 2018, the Tribune moved out, and the building converted to residential condominiums, adapting historic architecture to contemporary use.