Plateau Strategy
The story
Stand south of the towers so you can see the river, bridge and white facades together. The Wrigley Building was one of the structures that made the new Michigan Avenue bridge feel like a gateway rather than a piece of traffic engineering. The south tower opened in 1921, the north tower followed in 1924, and walkways connect them above the street and below it.
The cladding is glazed terra cotta. Its pale surface catches blue sky, gray weather and warm evening light, which is why the building can seem to change color without changing at all. The clock turns an office tower into a public landmark visible from the river and avenue.
Look at the composition before looking at details. The two towers are related but not identical, and the opening between them frames movement through the city. Chicago's beauty often comes from this kind of urban pairing: water and stone, infrastructure and ornament, enormous buildings making a room outdoors. Continue north on Michigan Avenue toward the much smaller Water Tower.