205 W Randolph

Located on the corner of Wells and Randolph205 W Randolph was developed in 2 stages: the original structure was erected in 1914 and completed in May 1915, and was built as a 17-story office building with a basement at the southwest corner of Wells and Randolph. It was originally intended to consolidate the State of Illinois’ offices into one central location. 6 months after its construction, 205 W Randolph became known as the People’s Life Building when it was acquired by the People’s Life Insurance Company. A few years later it was acquired by the Cooperative Society of America, where renowned author Ernest Hemingway would work as an associate editor for the short-lived Cooperative Commonwealth Magazine. The building was eventually purchased in the late 1920s by City State Bank, who sponsored the 1928 south addition that later became known as the Randolph-Wells Building. Although it underwent some rehabbing, recladding, and alterations in the 1980s, 205 W Randolph still bears all the hallmarks of Chicago’s golden age of architecture: white terra cotta, Gothic Revival style, and elaborate detailing reminiscent of the designers whose namesake might sound familiar: the Burnham Brothers, sons of world-famous Daniel Burnham, are responsible for the Art Deco/pseudo-Grecian ornamentation that helped the Randolph-Wells Building earn its place in the National Register of Historic Places.