Leo Burnett Building (35 West Wacker Drive, Chicago)

Design and architects

The tower was designed by the firm of Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates in collaboration with Shaw & Associates. The building's form and detailing reflect late 20th‑century postmodern commercial architecture, combining monumental massing with finely worked exterior materials. For technical specifications and compiled data about the project see the building records and summaries held by architectural resources and databases here.

Materials and façade

Its exterior employs a mix of durable finishes: cladding in natural stone and masonry combined with broad expanses of glazing. The project uses granite and other masonry elements around entrances and lower levels, while curtainwall sections rely on glass with stainless mullions. The fenestration follows the local tradition of "Chicago windows" — larger fixed panes flanked by narrower operable sashes — and stainless steel is used for many window divisions.

History and function

Completed in 1989 during a period of renewed downtown commercial development, the tower was named for and long anchored by the Leo Burnett advertising agency. It serves primarily as Class A office space, with corporate tenants occupying upper floors and street‑level retail and service uses facing Wacker Drive. Its riverside position and proximity to transit make it a desirable location for professional firms.

Architectural significance and features

The building is often cited as an example of postmodern approaches that blend traditional materials with contemporary high‑rise technology. Key characteristics include heavy stonework at pedestrian scale, vertical emphasis in the tower’s profile and carefully proportioned window groupings. Structural systems rely on conventional steel components complemented by reinforced concrete for floors and cores, reflecting common high‑rise practice of the period steel and concrete.

• Address: 35 West Wacker Drive at North Dearborn Street
• Height: 635 ft / 193 m; 50 stories
• Architects: Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates; Shaw & Associates
• Style: Postmodern commercial high‑rise

Today the Leo Burnett Building is appreciated both as a functional office tower and as a riverfront landmark that contributes to the architectural diversity of Chicago’s central business district.