Historical landmark
Carbide & Carbon Building
230 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60601, USA
Art Deco tower of black granite and gold leaf, shaped like a Prohibition-era champagne bottle.
This guide to the Carbide & Carbon Building in Chicago starts with a riddle: what illegal Prohibition-era drink inspired an entire skyscraper's design? It traces the Burnham Brothers' 1928 Art Deco tower for the Carbide and Carbon Company, its black granite base, terra cotta, and gold-leaf cap, and the champagne-bottle nickname Chicagoans gave it. Listen for how the building's identity kept shifting from corporate offices into a string of hotels, from the Hard Rock to the Pendry.
Audio guides are written and narrated by AI.