Home Sweet Home
History of the Marquette Building
Home Sweet Home
History of the Marquette Building
About the image
Original Entry.
The Building’s original entrance projected approximately two feet onto the sidewalk. According to the Architectural Reviewer in 1897, “in height [it] extends to the third floor line. The architrave is supported by three large Ionic columns of…granite, with polished shafts and bases.” It is uncertain as to exactly when the entrance was modified to its current appearance. On December 12, 1911, the Chicago Daily Tribune reported that Mayor Harrison pressed the City Council to adopt a measure to remove all downtown sidewalk obstructions. He asked that a “definite date be set, beyond which obstacles…from building line to the curb line will not be tolerated… [He] transmitted a list of more than 400 illegal obstructions, barber poles, sign posts, columns, and freight elevators…” It is not known exactly when the entrance changed, but it probably occurred shortly after this ordinance, as historical images show it in place by 1918.
Around 1904, Aldis acquired the 26 feet immediately west of the Marquette Building on Adams Street. Holabird & Roche erected an addition that was not a perfect match to the original building and had only a small cornice.
© John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
