Inter Ocean Building II
Life Span: 1890-1941
Location: NW Corner Madison and Dearborn Streets
Architect: Adler & Sullivan
Inter Ocean Building
The Inter Ocean was published in three locations during its career. From 1873 to 1880, it stood at 119 Lake Street (under the old Chicago street numbering), and from 1880 to 1890 it stood at 85 West Madison. The Inter-Ocean Building sat on the northwest corner of Madison and Dearborn in Chicago’s Loop.
In 1889 Adler & Sullivan designed the steel-framed building to be constructed on a very small corner lot and united it with the legs of the 5-storey L-shaped, stone-front Dearborn Building (1872-73) that sat behind. The then-famous clock-spire — with its steep hip roof (almost a steeple) and its strings of colored lights — singled out this building from its fellows in the block. The clock-tower was removed sometime before the building’s demolition. The Inter-Ocean Building was converted into the Hotel Grant sometime around 1895, when the Inter-Ocean newspaper fell on hard times. It was considered a second-class Chicago hotel.
Demolished 1941, the seven-story structure with clock tower at the corner of Madison and Dearborn was annexed to the already existing and remodeled six-story Dearborn Building. Its replacement sat there until 1981 when a new skyscraper was built on the site — Three First National Plaza.
Inter Ocean Advertisement from 1893
Inter Ocean Building
1940
Inter Ocean Trade Card
1888
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