Free previewStop 5 of Chicago Christmas Walk: Magnificent Mile Lights to the Christkindlmarket
The Gum King Bets on the Wrong Side
You're standing on Michigan Avenue at the river's edge, right across the street from Tribune Tower, and the gleaming white building in front of you is the Wrigley Building. Look up at the taller of its two towers, the south one, and find the clock near the top. It has faces pointing in every direction, and each one is nearly 20 feet across.
Now picture this corner in 1920. When ground was broken here, there were no major office buildings north of the Chicago River. None. This side of the water was not where serious businesses went. And the bridge you're about to cross, the Michigan Avenue Bridge, wasn't finished yet. It was still under construction.
The man who picked this spot anyway was William Wrigley Jr., a chewing gum magnate.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 5 of Chicago Christmas Walk: Magnificent Mile Lights to the Christkindlmarket (3 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
