This seventy-three-story skyscraper was originally known as the Library Tower because of its close association – both physical and historical – with the 1926 Central Library across the street.

The building was developed by Maguire Partners, who purchased the air rights above the historic library to add more height to the tower. This purchase also helped prevent the demolition of the library, helping to finance its rehabilitation and expansion.

Designed by Henry N. Cobb of the internationally celebrated firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, the building was specifically designed to complement and not overpower the library. Based on concentric geometries, one circular and the other composed of right angles, the round high-rise features four soaring setbacks leading to a glass crown that shines like a beacon at night.

Light-colored cladding and bright-green glass contrast sharply with surrounding structures in darker tones. Its richness of materials, stylized Art Deco imagery, and elegant ornamentation embody the variety and vitality of corporate design in the late twentieth century.