Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±

Second Franklin Building

Chicago


This 1912 factory building displays the history of printing on its tiled facade – above the door is a large mural showing a medieval printer's shop at work (a yawning assistant provides a bit of drollery). The roof slopes to allow for a huge skylight over the top floor where books were hand-bound, long before fluorescent lights or high-intensity lamps. The large windows on many of the other buildings in the area served the same purpose.


Contact

Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions

Nearby Chicago attractions

1. Dearborn Station

0.05 MILES

Once the Chicago terminal of the Santa Fe Railroad, this stately 1885 building used to be the premier station for trains to and from California. Today it…

2. Pontiac Building

0.14 MILES

A classic 1891 design by Holabird & Roche, the Pontiac features the same flowing masonry surfaces as the architects’ famed Monadnock Building in the Loop.

3. Mergenthaler Lofts

0.15 MILES

Built in 1886, the former headquarters for the legendary Linotype company has been converted into snazzy loft-style condo apartments.

4. Harold Washington Library Center

0.25 MILES

This grand, art-filled building with free internet terminals and wi-fi is Chicago's whopping main library. Major authors give readings, and impressive…

5. Museum of Contemporary Photography

0.27 MILES

This small museum focuses on American and international photography from the early 20th century onward, and is the only institution of its kind between…

6. Fine Arts Building

0.36 MILES

This building has been an artists' haven for more than a century. You'll still hear opera voices and trumpet music drift out of the music studios, which…

7. Monadnock Building

0.36 MILES

Architecture buffs on a pilgrimage bow down to the Monadnock, two buildings in one that depict a crucial juncture in skyscraper development. The north…

8. Chicago Board of Trade

0.39 MILES

The Board of Trade is a 1930 art deco gem. Inside, manic traders swap futures and options – or, at least, they used to. Most trading is done these days by…