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The Burnham Center, originally known as the Conway Building and later as the Chicago Title & Trust Building, is a historic
skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
. Built with funds from the
Marshall Field Marshall Field (August 18, 1834January 16, 1906) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores. His business was renowned for its then-exceptional level of quality and customer ...
estate, it was the last building designed by
Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...
before his death on June 1, 1912 and was completed in 1913.


History

The Burnham Center, originally known as the Conway Building, replaced the
Chicago Opera House The Chicago Opera House was a theater complex in Chicago, Illinois, designed by the architectural firm of Cobb and Frost. The Chicago Opera House building took the cue provided by the Metropolitan Opera of New York as a mixed-used building: it h ...
, which had been built in 1885. The Conway was a real estate project resulting from the estate of
Marshall Field Marshall Field (August 18, 1834January 16, 1906) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores. His business was renowned for its then-exceptional level of quality and customer ...
, who had died in 1906. Field requested that his $83 million estate be invested in Chicago real estate until his grandson,
Marshall Field III Marshall Field III (September 28, 1893 – November 8, 1956) was an American investment banker, publisher, racehorse owner/breeder, philanthropist, grandson of businessman Marshall Field, heir to the Marshall Field department store fortune, a ...
, turned fifty (1943). For the most part, Field's estate was invested in existing property, but it was used to fund three major projects: the Conway Building, the
Pittsfield Building The Pittsfield Building, is a 38-story skyscraper located at 55 E. Washington Street in the Chicago Loop, Loop Community areas of Chicago, community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States, that was the city's tallest building at the time of its ...
(1927), and the
Field Building The Field Building, also known as the LaSalle National Bank Building and Bank of America Building is an art deco office building at 135 South LaSalle Street in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. The building was d ...
(1934).
Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...
was a frequent associate of Field, designing an annex to the
Marshall Field and Company Building The Marshall Field and Company Building, which now houses Macy's State Street in Chicago, Illinois, was built in two stages—north end in 1901–02 (including columned entrance) and south end in 1905–06, and was the flagship location of the ...
(1892) and the
Field Museum of Natural History The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...
(c. 1900). Burnham, with Frederick P. Dinkelberg, completed his design for the building shortly before leaving Chicago in April 1912; he died in Germany two months later. The building resembles Burnham's
Flatiron Building The Flatiron Building, originally the Fuller Building, is a triangular 22-story, steel-framed landmarked building at 175 Fifth Avenue in the eponymous Flatiron District neighborhood of the Boroughs of New York City, borough of Manhattan in New ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
: both buildings are twenty-one stories, have rounded corners, and are decorated in a Beaux-Arts style. Both buildings are thought to be influenced by the
Palazzo di Propaganda Fide The Palazzo di Propaganda Fide (in English: Palace of the Propagation of the Faith) is a palace located in Rome, designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, then Francesco Borromini. Since 1626, it has housed the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peop ...
in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
. Ernest R. Graham, Peirce Anderson, and Edward Probst assumed control of the project on April 30. It was completed under the auspices of Graham, Burnham & Co. (a precursor of
Graham, Anderson, Probst & White Graham, Anderson, Probst & White (GAP&W) was a Chicago architectural firm that was founded in 1912 as Graham, Burnham & Co. This firm was the successor to D. H. Burnham & Co. through Daniel Burnham's surviving partner, Ernest R. Graham, and Burnh ...
) in 1913. The building was recognized by the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
with a listing on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on February 9, 1984. The Chicago Title & Trust Co. was a longtime tenant before the 1992 completion of the
Chicago Title and Trust Center Grant Thornton Tower (formerly Chicago Title & Trust Center, 161 North Clark and sometimes Chicago Title Tower) is an office tower located in Chicago designed by the firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. Before completion in 1990 the twin tower des ...
. Their former headquarters then became known as the Burnham Center. The Burnham Center is currently home to the corporate headquarters of
Grubhub Grubhub Inc. is an American online and mobile prepared food ordering and delivery platform. The company is based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 2004, it is a subsidiary of the Dutch company Just Eat Takeaway since 2021. Grubhub has been criti ...
.


References

{{commonscat, Chicago Title & Trust Building Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago Beaux-Arts architecture in Illinois Office buildings completed in 1913 Skyscraper office buildings in Chicago 1913 establishments in Illinois