early 20th century all original oversized single-sided nicely aged cast bronze chicago building exterior facade sign plaque with raised fanciful lettering – holabird & roche, architects

About This Item

original and unaltered museum-quality early 20th century single-sided solid cast bronze exterior chicago building sign plaque possibly fabricated by the winslow brothers of chicago, il. the surface mount building sign or plaque contains fanciful raised lettering against the original baked black enameled background (used to accentuate the lettering). the plaque contains four screw holes in each of its corners for mounting purposes. the raised edges and lettering contain surface oxidation consistent with age. the building sign plaque was likely installed shortly after contruction drew to a close, or perhaps shortly thereafter. the sign was removed when the building was converted into a dormitory with booth hansen as architects. oddly, the landmark plaque was removed at the time. the landmarked 14-story chicago building (also known as the chicago savings bank building) was constructed between 1904-1905 by the notable chicago-based architectural firm of holabird and roche. the extant structure remains an exceptional early and highly visible example of the chicago school of architecture. the chicago building’s exterior features characterize this style through the use of large “chicago windows,” a metal frame skeleton, protruding bay windows, and a terra cotta curtain wall. the combination of the north side projecting bay windows and the east side rectangular “chicago windows” with movable sashes is representative of the two typical chicago school window types. the building is one of only a very few where the original cornice remains intact. the building is prominently located on the southwest corner of state street and madison street, with visibility increased by an offset in the alignment of state street. the building is a critical component of a grouping of significant structures, including carson pirie scott and the former mandel brothers store, at what was once labeled the “world’s busiest corner.” the building was designated a chicago landmark on march 26, 1996. in 1997, the commercial building was converted into a dormitory for the school of the art institute of chicago. interestingly, the corner of the 3rd floor of the building contains the “cornerstone of chicago.” it is the 0-0 degree point of the city, and is the location from which all addresses in the city begin. measures 24 x 18 inches.