
Carbide & Carbon Building, Chicago
If Fitzgerald's Gatsby ever built a skyscraper, it might have looked a lot like the Carbide & Carbon Building—Chicago’s own shimmering ode to the 1920s excess. Dreamed up by the Burnham Brothers and wrapped up just before the party ended in 1929, this Art Deco showstopper was the brainchild of the Carbide and Carbon Company—those folks who helped invent the dry cell battery. Apparently, charging things and charging forward in style went hand in hand back then...
The exterior is all black granite, green terra cotta, and actual gold leaf (yes, real 24-karat gold, although thinner than your patience in traffic), capping it all off with a glimmer that still turns heads on Michigan Avenue. It’s like the building dressed up to the nines for the Roaring Twenties and never took the outfit off...
Step inside the lobby and you’re instantly transported to a time when opulence wasn’t a dirty word. Frosted glass, Belgian marble, and a whole lot of “look at me” energy made it a showroom for the company’s latest innovations, but let’s be honest—it mostly just flexed.
Then the stock market crashed, the sequel building never got off the ground, and the jazz got a little quieter. Still, the Carbide & Carbon Building held its pose, eventually scoring landmark status in 1994 and getting a glam $106-million makeover in 2004. For a while, it rocked out as the Hard Rock Hotel, proving it could party just as hard in the 21st century as ever.
Today, it remains one of the Loop’s most bedazzled icons—a monument to ambition, design, and just a hint of gold-plated swagger.
The exterior is all black granite, green terra cotta, and actual gold leaf (yes, real 24-karat gold, although thinner than your patience in traffic), capping it all off with a glimmer that still turns heads on Michigan Avenue. It’s like the building dressed up to the nines for the Roaring Twenties and never took the outfit off...
Step inside the lobby and you’re instantly transported to a time when opulence wasn’t a dirty word. Frosted glass, Belgian marble, and a whole lot of “look at me” energy made it a showroom for the company’s latest innovations, but let’s be honest—it mostly just flexed.
Then the stock market crashed, the sequel building never got off the ground, and the jazz got a little quieter. Still, the Carbide & Carbon Building held its pose, eventually scoring landmark status in 1994 and getting a glam $106-million makeover in 2004. For a while, it rocked out as the Hard Rock Hotel, proving it could party just as hard in the 21st century as ever.
Today, it remains one of the Loop’s most bedazzled icons—a monument to ambition, design, and just a hint of gold-plated swagger.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Chicago. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "ϳԹ: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Carbide & Carbon Building on Map
Sight Name: Carbide & Carbon Building
Sight Location: Chicago, USA (See walking tours in Chicago)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Chicago, USA (See walking tours in Chicago)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Chicago, Illinois
Create Your Own Walk in Chicago
Creating your own self-guided walk in Chicago is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Chicago Navy Pier Walking Tour
Additional to scenic views of the lake, the boats, and the city skyline, the Navy Pier offers a variety of attractions on the waterfront – for kids as well as adults – that draw nearly ten million people annually, making this Chicago's most visited spot. Yes, some may see it as a “tourist trap”, but it is worth the time and money to spend some time here, so take this self-guided walk... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles
Loop District Architecture Walking Tour
The Chicago Loop District—essentially the city’s historic downtown—has long been a stage for architectural innovation and an open-air museum of American architecture.
The construction boom started after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed much of the central business district, gave architects a blank canvas to rebuild the city from the ground up. What followed was a surge of... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.7 Km or 2.9 Miles
The construction boom started after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed much of the central business district, gave architects a blank canvas to rebuild the city from the ground up. What followed was a surge of... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.7 Km or 2.9 Miles
Chicago Old Town Walking Tour
Settled in 1850 by German immigrants, Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood is a popular destination for locals and visitors who cater to the entertainment venues, restaurants, pubs, coffee shops and boutiques – all of which have turned an area once referred to as the “Cabbage Patch” into an attraction that rivals Navy Pier, Wrigley Field and the Magnificent Mile.
Start your Old Town walking... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles
Start your Old Town walking... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles
University of Chicago Walking Tour
Founded in 1890, the University of Chicago is among the world’s most prestigious educational institutions. As of 2020, the University’s students, faculty and staff have included 100 Nobel laureates, giving it the fourth-most affiliated Nobel laureates of any university.
Set in the heart of Chicago’s famous eclectic neighborhood, Hyde Park, the campus is worth a visit as it offers a... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
Set in the heart of Chicago’s famous eclectic neighborhood, Hyde Park, the campus is worth a visit as it offers a... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles
Chicago Introduction Walking Tour
Chicago, perched on the shores of Lake Michigan in Illinois, is a city steeped in history and urban vibrancy. Known by numerous nicknames such as the Windy City and the City of Big Shoulders, it boasts a skyline marked by towering structures. The area of today's Chicago, initially inhabited by Native American tribes, saw its first European-settled reference as "Chicagou" in 1679, a... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles
The Magnificent Mile Walking Tour
The stretch of Michigan Avenue from the Chicago River to Lake Shore Drive, otherwise known as the Magnificent Mile, is regarded as one of the world’s great avenues – or Chicago’s version of Fifth Avenue. Take this self-guided walk to explore its whole stretch and surrounding area, featuring a wide selection of amazing stores/malls, world-known museums, restaurants and spectacular... view more
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.0 Km or 2.5 Miles
Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.0 Km or 2.5 Miles
Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip
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