The Palmolive Building is among the premier buildings by Holabird & Root. Completed in 1929, the construction of the Palmolive Building served as an important milestone in establishing North Michigan Avenue as a leading commercial address. An indelible icon on the Chicago skyline, celebrated in guidebooks and postcards, and admired by both tourists and lifelong city residents, the Palmolive Building is an evolving building rich in Chicago history.

Originally constructed to house the Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Company, the Palmolive Building was also home to many more of Chicago’s most prestigious firms. Household Financial, The Gillette Safety Razor Co., and the Celotex Co. were tenants, along with Esquire, Good Housekeeping, and Cosmopolitan magazines. The building was tailored for wealthy business executives who lived in the Gold Coast and could walk to work. High up in their offices overlooking the lake and city, away from the soot and smog of the Loop, paneled offices with private baths and kitchens, chandeliers and the finest furnishings were the norm at the Palmolive Building from the start.

In 1930, the famous Palmolive Beacon was erected atop an aluminum and steel tower rising 75 feet from the roof of the Palmolive Building. Sweeping the night sky in 30-second rotations, the beacon was a navigational aid to air pilots, but became a symbol of the skyline and world-famous element to one of Chicago’s greatest buildings. A second, less powerful beacon was mounted directly below the Palmolive Beacon, and was fixed on the runway at the civic airport (now Midway Airport) so that once pilots found their way to Chicago, they could see where to land.

The elaborate preservation of the Palmolive Building’s classic architectural features and the rebirth of its interior give Chicagoans an opportunity to not only appreciate the building’s glorious aesthetic, but reside within its gorgeous walls. Indeed, very soon a select few will have the distinct honor of having the Palmolive Building door staff welcome them home.