London Guarantee Building, Chicago

Say hi to the London Guarantee & Accident Building鈥擟hicago鈥檚 take on 鈥淗ow fancy can an insurance office allow itself to get?鈥� Since 1923, this Beaux-Arts beauty has been holding court on the city's skyline with all the drama and flair of a Gilded Age debutante. Designed by Alfred S. Alschuler for a British insurance firm that clearly didn鈥檛 believe in subtlety, this building is a love letter to classical architecture and Chicago鈥檚 ambition to dazzle the world, especially in the wake of the 1893 World鈥檚 Fair.

What makes it Beaux-Arts, you ask? Think Corinthian columns, Roman statues, and stonework so detailed it practically winks at you. In essence, this building is a temple to symmetry, opulence, and architectural ego. Every inch of its fa莽ade says, 鈥淵es, we are this grand, thank you very much.鈥�

And then there鈥檚 the crown jewel: that glorious cupola. Sitting atop the 22-story tower like a marble tiara, it features a colonnade and domed cap that scream 鈥淟ook at me!鈥� to anyone within a mile radius. It鈥檚 not just decorative鈥攊t鈥檚 competitive, throwing some elegant side-eye at the Wrigley Building across the street.

All in all, the London Guarantee Building doesn鈥檛 just occupy space鈥攊t owns it. One part classical romance, one part high-rise bravado, it鈥檚 a true Chicago original.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Chicago. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "911爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: London Guarantee Building
Sight Location: Chicago, USA (See walking tours in Chicago)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Loop District Architecture Walking Tour

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Let鈥檚 start with the elder of the two 鈥� Grant Park,... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles

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The construction boom started after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed much of the central business district, gave architects a blank canvas to rebuild the city from the ground up. What followed was a surge of... view more

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.7 Km or 2.9 Miles

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