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Reliance Building

  • White building on city street corner

    Photo by Peter J. Sieger.

Step inside this restored 1895 office building, designed to attract Chicago’s early medical professionals with its gleaming white terra cotta exterior and expansive windows.


  • White building on city street corner

    Photo by Peter J. Sieger.

Discover what it was like to work in this remarkable building as you visit the elevator lobby and explore an upper floor, where its detailed design lives on in a luxury hotel.

Duration
45 minutes
Site Type
Buildings
Location
Downtown
Architects and Styles
Meet

Main Lobby, 1 W. Washington St. entrance

Designed by John Wellborn Root and Charles Atwood, the Reliance Building is one of Chicago’s early skyscrapers and is now a designated city, state and national landmark. 

The building is a great example of Chicago School tripartite design. Shaped by the demand for downtown office space following the Great Chicago Fire, its glass curtain wall foreshadowed the International Style and later Modernist buildings of the mid-20th century.

Tour Reviews

    • The Reliance Building’s design and importance have been recognized by being named a city, state and national landmark. All this, and it is also ‘a thing of beauty’ per Tim Samuelson, Chicago's cultural historian.
      Jane BuckwalterCAC Docent Class of 1998
  • Exterior of white building with large windows

    Window details

  • Exterior of white building with large windows
  • Elevators inside building with ornate black detail

    Photo by Peter J. Sieger.

  • Close up of ornamenation on exterior of buildling

    Exterior Ornamentation

  • Lobby of the Reliance Building in Chicago, Illinois, showcasing elegant historic architecture with intricate detailing, large windows, and a bright, welcoming interior.

    Lobby. Photo by Peter J. Sieger.

  • Close up of red black and white mosaic tile floor with quilt pattern

    Mosaic tile flooring. Photo by Peter J. Sieger

Tour Accessibility

CAC is committed to improving access to our tours. The accessibility information below reflects our docents’ experience and is provided for general guidance only.

What to expect on this tour

  • Icon of a person walking with a red percentage sign

    Terrain & Surfaces

    Easy - Paved and flat the entire route

  • Icon of a wheelchair and red arrow

    Wheelchair & Walker Access

    Easy - Fully accessible; no barriers

  • Icon of the outline or some steps and a red arrow pointing diagonally right and up.

    Steps or Stairs

    Easy - No stairs, step-free route

  • Icon of an ear with a red throughline

    Hearing Access

    Easy - Quiet setting, easy to hear

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MORE ABOUT THIS BUILDING

Discover more about the Reliance Building in CAC's Buildings of Chicago online library.

LEARN MORE
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