35 East Wacker

35 East Wacker, also known as the Jewelers' Building,^[5] is a 40-story 523 ft (159 m) historic building in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States, located at the intersection of Wabash Avenue and East Wacker Drive, facing the Chicago River. It was built from 1925 to 1927, and was co-designed by Joachim Giæver and Frederick P. Dinkelberg.^[6] At the time of its completion in 1927, it was the tallest building in the world outside New York City.^[7][8] Formerly the Pure Oil Building and North American Life Insurance Building,^[9] 35 East Wacker was listed in 1978 as a contributing property to the Michigan–Wacker Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places, and was designated a Chicago Landmark on February 9, 1994.^[4][7][10]

Quick Facts Former names, Record height ...

35 East Wacker
Location within Central Chicago Show map of Central Chicago 35 East Wacker (Illinois) Show map of Illinois 35 East Wacker (the United States) Show map of the United States
Former names	Pure Oil Building, North American Life Building, Jewelers Building
Record height
Tallest in Chicago (Outside NYC) since 1927[I]
Preceded by	Richard J. Daley Center 77 West Wacker Drive
General information
Type	Commercial offices
Location	35 E. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates	41.8865°N 87.6268°W / 41.8865; -87.6268
Current tenants	See Tenants
Construction started	1925
Completed	1927
Client	Opal Holdings, LLC.
Management	Opal Holdings, LLC.
Height
Roof	523 ft (159 m)
Technical details
Floor count	40
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Joachim Giæver Frederick P. Dinkelberg
Developer	Opal Holdings, LLC.
Main contractor	Starrett-Dilks Company
North American Life Insurance Building
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Architectural style	Neoclassical
Part of	Michigan–Wacker Historic District (ID78001124)
Designated CP	1978
References
[1][2][3][4]

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For its first 14 years, the building had a car lift that served the first 23 floors, later converted to office space. There was no access between the offices and the parking garage, except at the Lower Wacker Drive level, where drivers would leave their cars with an attendant.^[11]

Currently,^[when?] the French-American Chamber of Commerce in Chicago is a tenant,^[12] and the showroom of architect Helmut Jahn was atop the building inside the dome, which was also once a restaurant called the Stratosphere Club, often erroneously said to be run by Al Capone.^[5] (In reality, the Stratosphere Club opened in 1937, long after Capone was imprisoned and too late for the building to have been an illegal speakeasy.)^[13] The building is currently being renovated, by Goettsch Partners, and the façade is being maintained, but the interiors converted into a more modern configuration. Both the Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the City of Chicago have recognized the renovation project with awards.^[5][14]