Like many successful American businessmen, Mr. William Wrigley Jr. liked and knew how to act in a big way. An illustrative example is not only chewing gum in his name, but the Wrigley Building - Chicago's famous building.

Worth it on the north shore of the Chicago River, at the very outset of the Magnificent Mile for battered trendy, prestigious, prominent, and other institutions, and for the years of its existence, has managed to become a symbol of the city. Construction of a snow-white, shining skyscraper was launched November 11, 1920, and in April the following year the southern wing was ready. The next part, the north wing, completed in 1924. A little later, the two three-story buildings connected arcade and two bridges, one of which is located at 14 floors.

North wing 19-storey, but the growth it adds the tower, spire, which is 121 meters from the ground. On each side of the quadrangular tower clock is set. To passers-by could identify them by the time-clockwise at each of the dials exceed two meters (2,3), and three minutes (3,5).

Of course, the headquarters of Wrigley, based in This building can not occupy all 442,000 m2. Therefore, there are newspapers and magazines, advertising and travel agencies, restaurants, bank, hairdresser, office product companies. Every day at Wrigley Building flock to 3,000 people. 15 lifts (six in the southern sector and nine in the north) to carry about their destination floor.

But capacity building has brought him fame, and its illumination. Illuminated building several arrays of lamps. One of them is on the opposite bank of the river, the other - in the western extremity of the building, provide two light effects on the roof. For the first time the backlight turned in 1924, immediately after completion. Since then, every night skyscraper pleases residents and guests of Chicago to its festive appearance. Only three times in its history the lights were extinguished. During World War II for security reasons, in 1971 - the period of repair and replacement of lighting fixtures and in the years 1973-74, when the U.S. grasped the energy crisis.