Wrigley Building & DuSable Bridge
The gleaming white "jewel of the Magnificent Mile."
Key facts
- South tower built 1921, north tower 1924
- Clad in glazed white terra cotta
- South tower rises about 425 ft
- Built for the Wrigley chewing gum company
- Clock tower inspired by the Giralda in Seville
Narration transcript
Coming up on your right is the dazzling Wrigley Building, one of the most beloved landmarks in all of Chicago. It was built by the chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Junior, with the taller south tower finished in 1921 and the north tower in 1924. What makes it glow so brightly is its skin: the entire building is covered in glazed white terra cotta, a kind of baked clay tile, in six subtly different shades that grow whiter toward the top, so the tower seems to shine even brighter as it rises. At night, powerful floodlights make it gleam like a beacon over the river. Its clock tower was inspired by a famous bell tower called the Giralda in Seville, Spain. Here is a detail kids love: those four giant clock faces are each nearly twenty feet across, far bigger than they look from down here. And notice the elegant bridge in front of it, the DuSable Bridge, which lifts to let tall boats pass. As we glide by, watch how the whole building lights up white against the sky.