London Guarantee Building facts for kids
Quick facts for kids London Guarantee Building |
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| London Guaranty & Accident Building | |
The London Guarantee Building. Behind it is Mather Tower, to the left is 333 North Michigan, and to the right is 35 East Wacker. View looking south from across the Chicago River.
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| Location | 85 E. Wacker Drive at North Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois |
| Built | 1922 |
| Architect | Alfred S. Alschuler |
| Website | https://londonhousechicago.com/ |
| Designated | April 16, 1996 |
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The London Guarantee Building is a historic skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. It was built in 1923 and is now home to the LondonHouse Chicago Hotel. For a while, it was called the Stone Container Building.
This building is one of four famous skyscrapers from the 1920s that stand around the Michigan Avenue Bridge. The others are the Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower, and 333 North Michigan. The London Guarantee Building is also part of the Michigan–Wacker Historic District. It even stands on land that was once part of Fort Dearborn, a very old fort! Because of its history and design, it was named a Chicago Landmark on April 16, 1996.
Contents
Building History
Early Days and Design
The London Guarantee Building was designed by a Chicago architect named Alfred S. Alschuler. It was finished in 1923. The first main company to use the building was an insurance firm called the London Guarantee & Accident Company. The hotel's name, LondonHouse, is a tribute to this first owner.
If you look at the very top of the building, you might notice it looks a bit like an ancient Greek monument. It was actually inspired by the Stockholm City Hall in Sweden. Before this building was constructed, another building called the Hoyt Building stood on this spot from 1872 until 1921.
Famous Tenants and Appearances
For many years, the London Guarantee Building was home to some interesting businesses. From the 1960s to the 1980s, the radio station WLS (AM) had its studios on the fifth floor. A very famous radio host, Paul Harvey, even broadcast his daily show from the fourth floor for decades!
The building was also known for a popular jazz club and steakhouse called The London House. This club was on the first floor and had its own entrance. From the 1950s to the early 1970s, it was one of the best jazz clubs in the country. Many legendary jazz musicians played there, like Oscar Peterson, Ramsey Lewis, Bill Evans, and Dave Brubeck.
You might have even seen the building on TV! In the 1980s and 1990s, the outside of the building was used as the fictional newspaper office for the Chicago Chronicle in the TV show Perfect Strangers.
Becoming a Hotel
In 2001, a company called Crain Communications Inc. bought the building. They used it for their offices and called it the Crain Communications Building. Later, in 2013, Oxford Capital Group, a hotel developer, bought the building for $53 million.
Oxford Capital Group decided to turn the historic office building into a modern hotel. They added a new, sleek glass section next to the original building. This new part was designed by Goettsch Partners. After a lot of work, the building reopened as the LondonHouse hotel on May 26, 2016. Oxford Capital Group still manages the hotel today.
Images for kids
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c. 1950
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Rotunda ceiling
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London Guarantee Building entrance commemorates Fort Dearborn at the top
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London Guarantee Building, Mather Tower and 35 East Wacker
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Michigan Avenue Bridge traffic (Background includes 333 North Michigan, Carbide & Carbon Building, London Guarantee Building, Mather Tower & 35 East Wacker
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London Guarantee Building lit in the colors of the French flag, after the 2016 Nice truck attack
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