Palmolive Building — Art Deco tower at 919 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago

Architecture and features

The exterior uses a masonry facade with setbacks that create terraces and a distinctive silhouette against the skyline. Upper floors were arranged to afford premium views of the lake and avenue, and the crown has been a focal point for signage and lighting. Inside, the lobby and circulation spaces historically combined durable materials and simplified classical ornament, typical of late 1920s commercial interiors.

History and uses

Originally built for the Colgate-Palmolive-Peet company, the tower served as a corporate headquarters and showroom. In the mid-20th century the building became closely associated with Playboy Enterprises, which occupied upper floors and operated club and entertainment spaces; that association gave the property a secondary popular name, the Playboy Building. Over time the structure has housed offices, clubs and, in some parts, residential conversions and mixed uses.

Because of its prominent location on Michigan Avenue and its characteristic Art Deco profile, the Palmolive Building is often mentioned in discussions of Chicago's architectural legacy. It illustrates the city's early 20th-century commercial development and the tendency to adapt landmark high-rises to changing tenants and functions.

Notable facts and distinctions

• Completed in 1929, near the end of the Art Deco boom in the United States.
• Designed by Holabird & Root, a firm responsible for multiple Chicago landmarks.
• Known both as the Palmolive Building and, informally, the Playboy Building because of its later tenants.

Today the building remains a visible part of the Magnificent Mile corridor, recognized for its period styling and for the layered history that reflects Chicago's commercial and cultural evolution.