Free previewStop 2 of Chicago Loop Architecture Walking Tour
Crows, Politicians, and a Cautious Skyscraper
You're on South LaSalle Street, a short walk up from the Board of Trade, standing in front of a reddish-brown building twelve stories tall. This is the Rookery, finished in 1888, and it's considered the oldest standing high-rise in Chicago. Look at the stonework around the entrance. Find the carved birds. They're a joke, and the joke is older than the building.
After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the city needed somewhere to govern from, fast. On this very lot, a big iron water tank had survived the flames. So Chicago built a makeshift city hall right around it. Crows and pigeons flocked all over the outside. Chicagoans called the place the rookery, for the birds, and for the politicians inside, who were said to be just as crooked. For a while, that old water tank even held part of the public library's books.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 2 of Chicago Loop Architecture Walking Tour (3 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
