We’re getting married!

The Rookery Building in the heart of Chicago’s financial district stands testimony to the resilience and creative spirit of late-nineteenth century Chicago. Completed in 1888, Burnham and Root’s eleven-story Rookery was one of the tallest buildings in the world at the time. The building was known popularly as “the rookery” because of the many birds that roosted there and the likelihood of being “rooked” by the politicians in residence. In 1905, the building manager hired Frank Lloyd Wright to modernize the interior public space. The Rookery commission resulted in one of the most luxurious interiors of Wright’s career, and transformed the building into a gleaming white and gold center of commerce. In light court, Wright demonstrated an ability to skillfully integrate his own design into an existing design by Root, without diminishing the original. Because a rookery traditionally means "a collective nesting area where breeding birds nest in a group in order to protect themselves from predators" the building's design plays into this in multiple ways. When the building was commissioned, Root playfully incorporated a pair of carved rooks into the Romanesque archway of the main entrance on LaSalle Street. Inside, the cast iron and wrought iron frame gives the feel of a bird cage. Additionally, in 1931 William Drummond infused an Art Deco flair into The Rookery, dividing the two-story entrance lobby into separate floors and replacing Wright’s open-geometric elevator cages with solid bronze doors etched with birds. We are so excited to get these two lovebirds married at the Rookery!