Chicago Architecture Spotlight: The Leo Burnett Building 

The Leo Burnett Building is a postmodern skyscraper at 35 W. Wacker Dr., on the south bank of the Chicago River at Dearborn Street. Completed in 1989, it was designed by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates with Shaw & Associates as the headquarters of the Leo Burnett advertising agency, the Chicago firm behind characters like Tony the Tiger and the Pillsbury Doughboy. The tower rises about 635 feet and is known for its dark green granite facade and window grid inspired by the Chicago School.

From the river, the Leo Burnett Building stands out for its dark, stately facade and strong vertical lines. It was built for one of the most famous names in advertising, and its design connects 1980s postmodernism with Chicago’s architectural past. This Chicago Architecture Spotlight from Shoreline Sightseeing covers the building’s history, its design, and what to look for when you see it from the water.

Reviewed by Courtney Eathrone, Architecture Tour Docent at Shoreline Sightseeing

The Leo Burnett Building at a Glance

Landmark

The Leo Burnett Building

Completed

1989

Architect

Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates with Shaw & Associates

Developer

The John Buck Company

Style

Postmodern, with Chicago School influences

Address

35 W. Wacker Dr., Chicago

Height

About 635 feet, commonly listed as 50 stories

Original Use

Headquarters of the Leo Burnett advertising agency

Facade

Dark green granite with stainless steel window dividers

History of the Leo Burnett Building

Built for an Advertising Legend

Leo Burnett founded his advertising agency in Chicago in 1935, and it grew into one of the best-known agencies in the world. The firm created some of the most familiar characters in American advertising, including Tony the Tiger, the Pillsbury Doughboy, and the Keebler Elves. By the 1980s, the agency needed a headquarters that matched its reputation, and developer The John Buck Company brought in Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates to design it in 1986.

A Pritzker Prize Winner on the Riverfront

Architect Kevin Roche, winner of the 1982 Pritzker Prize, was already known for landmark museums and corporate headquarters, including New York’s Ford Foundation building. The brief called for a building that felt of its time while carrying on the tradition of the great Chicago skyscrapers that came before it. The result, completed in 1989, favors restraint over flash, with a solid, carefully detailed presence on the river. It arrived during a wave of postmodern towers along Wacker Drive that also included 77 W. Wacker just to the west.

The Leo Burnett Building Today

The tower has long been home to the Leo Burnett agency, which is part of Publicis Groupe. In recent years, Publicis merged Leo Burnett with Publicis Worldwide under the name Leo. The building has also housed other major tenants, including the law firm Winston & Strawn. It sold in 2022 for a reported $420 million, and it’s still widely known by the agency’s name.

1. 1935

   Leo Burnett founds his advertising agency in Chicago.

2. 1986

   The John Buck Company brings in Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo & Associates to design the headquarters.

3. 1989

   The tower is completed at 35 W. Wacker Dr.

4. 2022

   The building sells for a reported $420 million.

Leo Burnett Building Architecture and Design

A Postmodern Tower With Chicago School Roots

The Leo Burnett Building is a postmodern design, but it borrows heavily from Chicago’s architectural history. Its windows are divided by vertical stainless steel bars, a nod to the “Chicago windows” made famous by the Chicago School architects of the late 1800s. That connection is part of what makes Chicago architecture famous: new buildings that build on the city’s past instead of ignoring it.

Dark Green Granite in Three Finishes

The facade is clad in green granite in three different finishes, thermal stippled, honed, and polished, which gives the dark stone a distinct, almost pixelated texture and subtle variations in shine. The granite forms a rectangular grid around deeply recessed windows, creating strong shadows and a sense of depth, especially in changing light.

Corners Designed for Executive Offices

One of the building’s most practical design choices is at its corners. They were shaped to create additional executive office space, a detail that also strengthens the overall look of the tower. It’s a fitting feature for a building designed around the needs of a major company headquarters.

The Structure Behind the Granite

Beneath the granite, the tower uses a perimeter tube of steel columns spaced 15 feet apart, combined with a poured concrete core and trusses supporting the floors. This tube approach, rooted in Chicago’s long history of skyscraper engineering, supports the building’s height behind its stone-clad exterior.

Inside the Lobby

The design carries inside as well. The lobby walls are clad in Rosa Portugala marble and pine-green African granite, continuing the rich stone palette of the exterior.

Seeing the Leo Burnett Building From the Chicago River

The Leo Burnett Building rises from the south bank of the main branch of the Chicago River at Dearborn Street. From the water, you can take in its full height and see how its dark granite stands apart from its neighbors along Wacker Drive, from the concrete of 55 W. Wacker to the classical columns of 77 W. Wacker. Across the river stands Marina City, whose famous corncob towers make a memorable contrast with the Leo Burnett Building’s solid granite form.

• Where it sitsSouth bank of the main branch, at Dearborn Street
• Across the riverMarina City
• Wacker Drive neighbors55 W. Wacker and 77 W. Wacker
• Tour that passes itArchitecture River Tour

Book Your Tour

Guests on the Architecture River Tour see the Leo Burnett Building on the main branch, with a guide sharing the stories behind it and dozens of other landmarks. Spanish-speaking visitors can hear the same history on the Spanish Architecture River Tour. For a closer look at the other buildings along the route, explore the landmarks featured on the Architecture River Tour.

Like many of Chicago’s landmarks that look completely different from the water, the Leo Burnett Building is especially rewarding from river level, where its scale and texture come through in a way that’s hard to see from the sidewalk. A few blocks east, where Michigan Avenue crosses the river, the history and design of the Wrigley Building tell another chapter of the city’s architectural story.

Fun Fact About the Leo Burnett Building

Leo Burnett was known for the philosophy that “big ideas come from big pencils,” and oversized black pencils became a signature of the agency. That idea is built into its Chicago headquarters, too. The building itself is conceptually shaped like Leo Burnett’s famous thick black pencil, and inside the agency’s offices, the black pencil motif is part of the workspace design.

Visiting the Leo Burnett Building

The Leo Burnett Building is a working office building, so most of it isn’t open to the public. The best views are from outside, and the Chicago Riverwalk below Wacker Drive lets you step back and take in the full facade. The building is part of the Chicago Pedway, the downtown walkway network that also serves the neighboring Renaissance Hotel, a handy detail for getting around in colder months.

Getting to the Leo Burnett Building

The Leo Burnett Building stands at 35 W. Wacker Dr., on the south bank of the Chicago River at Dearborn Street.

Best Places to Photograph the Leo Burnett Building

• Chicago RiverwalkClear views of the building from across and along the river.
• Dearborn Street and State Street bridgesGood angles looking up at the tower.
• The river itselfShows the building in context with its Wacker Drive neighbors and Marina City across the water.
• Changing lightBrings out the texture of the granite, so the building can look noticeably different from one visit to the next.

Frequently Asked Questions