Chicago Tribune Tower
This is possibly the world's most famous building for
how it could have looked. The famous 1922 competition drew
entries from around the globe inspired by lively debates on
skyscraper design. The winning Howells and Hood design looks to
the past for inspiration, with French Gothic details and an
elaborate tower that is one of the high points of 20s
revivalism. Modeled on the Butter tower of Rouen Cathedral, the
crown-like top displays a full arsenal of buttresses,
crockets and finials. Stone arches at the base include
carvings of a howling dog and Robin Hood to hint at the
architects names. Several of the other entries of the
competition have secured themselves a place in architectural
history, but none so emphatically as Eliel Saarinen's second
place winner, which would have been built if he had not
handed in his design a month late. Its dramatically soaring
design provided inspiration for countless tall buildings in
the following two decades.