333 N. Michigan Ave.

by Suzanne Hanney

Located on the south bank of the Chicago River, 333 N. Michigan Ave. was built in 1928 in the Art Deco setback style by the architectural firm of Holabird & Root. Its façade features reliefs depicting Native Americans and soldiers at Fort Dearborn, which partially occupied this spot in the early 1800s. Its unique site fronts 200 feet on Michigan Avenue – with a midblock entrance -- and 60 feet along the river and Wacker Drive. Because of a bend in the river, 333 is visible for the length of the Magnificent Mile to the north. Sentinel figures on its roof stare down at passersby while intricate metalwork of the Roman god Neptune picks up on the nautical theme of the building’s porthole windows.

In the days when its members included Frank Lloyd Wright, Mayor Richard J. Daley, Carl Sandburg and William Wrigley, the Tavern Club featured an ice skating rink on its 26th floor terrace. Following a $75 million renovation, the Tavern Club at 333 offers a restaurant, bar and private events space.

333 N. Michigan Ave.

Eric Allix Rogers, courtesy of the Chicago Architecture Center