190 South LaSalle, Chicago

Strolling down LaSalle Street in Chicago’s financial district for the first time, you might just miss 190 South LaSalle. Its base plays it cool, all calm masonry and buttoned-up elegance, blending in like a banker at a board meeting. But look up, and boom-there’s that unmistakable green gabled roof, crashing the skyline party like it forgot it was supposed to be “understated.”

Designed by the dynamic duo of Philip Johnson and John Burgee, this skyscraper is pure Postmodern swagger. This style, emerging in the 1980s and 90s, represents a departure from the restrained International Style championed by Mies van der Rohe. Gone are the clean, no-nonsense lines, as if to say, “Why be minimal when you can be memorable?” And 190 South LaSalle gets the memo loud and clear, with grand gestures, oversized flourishes, and a rooftop that practically winks at you through the clouds.

What makes it fun is the contrast: from the sidewalk, it’s all composed and corporate; from afar, it’s theatrical and proud. It borrows from tradition but isn’t afraid to turn up the volume, making it a playful love letter to Chicago’s architectural past, dressed in the 1980s attitude.

So, exploring this part of the Loop, don’t forget to look up-because 190 South LaSalle is proof that even the most modest facades can hide a flair for the dramatic.