Alternate Realities : Chicago Tribune Tower

Alternate sketches for the Tribune Tower in Chicago, after the newspaper asked the architect to study ideas for a taller design. Originally from a 1922 issue of the Chicago Daily Tribune.[1]

Pictured above are three design sketches for the Chicago Tribune Tower. They were drawn after the competition, when the newspaper asked the architect to study taller options for the building, because the client was considering whether or not to build the world’s tallest tower. The increased height would require special approval from the city, so in the end they opted for beauty over height (their words), and didn’t pursue the taller options.[2] Still, the sketches provide a fascinating window into the architect’s mindset, and raise some interesting questions given the economic pressures put on a building such as this.

All three options keep the Gothic style and re-work the overall height and crown. The second design just takes the first and stretches the shaft, giving the tower more height. Simple enough. The third design is more involved, however, and it asks much more interesting questions than the second. First, the crown is quite a bit taller and more elaborate, which gives the tower more height but not more useable area. The shaft is the same height as the first design, so the resulting proportions are more vertical. This design would be much more expensive to build with no increase in useable area, so most likely it’d be a tough sell. Even so, it does reinforce the Tribune’s desire to put beauty before height (even though it’s the taller option). Giving more height and area to an ornamental crown signals an interest in aesthetic beauty over utility, and in my opinion it’s a better looking tower than the first option.

These are all common themes that run throughout the tall building design process. Cost is a major factor for a buildings such as this, because they’re so expensive to build in the first place. Add to the mix the need for special approval from the city, and it was most likely too much for the Tribune. Still, the built result is a beautiful structure that’s still standing today, so respect to the architect and the Tribune for making it happen.

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[1]: Bennett, James O’Donnell. “M-E Building Opens New Era of Skyscrapers.” Chicago Daily Tribune, December 22, 1922.

[2]: McCormick, Col. R.R.. “The Tribune Tower - The Owner’s View.” In The Western Architect, vol. 34 (Nov. 1935). 115.