Fisher Building

Address: 343 S. Dearborn St. Year Built: 1896 north addition, 1907 Architect: Peter J. Weber , D. H. Burnham and Co. Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: June 7, 1978

Cladding this early skyscraper with Gothic-inspired, terra-cotta tracery was not a casual stylistic choice. Its designers looked for inspiration to the early Gothic cathedrals of Europe, which shared common characteristics of tallness and often having more glass than masonry.

Eagles and mythical beasts decorate the upper stories, and aquatic creatures and seashells--a visual pun on the name of the building's original owner, Lucius G. Fisher--are found at the base. A later addition to the north is largely a repetition of the original design, except for the absence of bay windows.