Any
story that involves the Wriggly Building
has to start with an introduction of the
company that built it. William Wrigley,
Jr. founded the Wrigley Company in 1891.
He started out selling things like soap
and baking powder. In 1892 the company
started making chewing gum, which quickly
became their most popular product. Eventually
they would see their product in over 180
countries across the world.
William Wrigley, Jr. needed a place to
store his company, and to do that he would
build a headquarters that was good enough
to house his life’s work. He would
build a gleaming white skyscraper across
from the Tribune Tower, and of course
would name it after himself. Construction
started in 1920 and wasn’t fully
completed until 1942. The building consisted
of two towers; walkways between the towers
were added at the ground level and the
third floor. In 1931 another walkway was
added at the fourteenth floor to connect
to offices of a nearby bank.
The
building’s two towers are differing
heights, with the south tower being 30
stories high and the north tower being
21 stories tall. The building is glazed
in terra cotta, which gives it a gleaming
white color. It was the first building
in Chicago to have air conditioning installed,
and by walking though the buildings center
doors you will find yourself in a secluded
park area overlooking the Chicago River.
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