Why the Disintegration of Chicago's Most Iconic Media Brand Is Such a Big Blow to the Windy City

For 95 years, 435 North Michigan Ave. has cast its imperious, 34-story shadow over the canyons of downtown Chicago. Designed by Raymond Hood and inspired by the Rouen Cathedral, the neo-Gothic skyscraper soars 463 feet into the clouds and wears a crown from the Middle Ages: pinnacles, grotesques, flying buttresses. It is one of those buildings that Chicagoans mention when boasting of the architecture of their city.