The Buckingham

The Buckingham Building is a 27-story skyscraper in Chicago's Loop neighborhood that opened in 1930. The architects Holabird and Root designed the building in the Art Deco style after it replaced the older Athenaeum Building from 1886. Originally planned as the New Athenaeum, it soon took on its current name. The facade is made of brick, granite, and terra-cotta, with the central bays given a vertical emphasis by dark terra-cotta and floral ornamentation. The lower floors are clad in black granite. Historically, the building served as a mixed-use structure for retail and offices, with well-known firms such as the Vacuum Oil Company among its early tenants. After a merger, it was for a time called the Socony-Vacuum Building before reverting to its original name. Today it still houses retail and office space, but is only partially occupied. As a historic landmark, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 and gives visitors a glimpse into Chicago's architectural history.