Join SAH/SCC as we
welcome three of the contributors of The Wrigley Building: The Making of an Icon (Rizzoli Electa, 2025) to Los Angeles to discuss the new book, Robert Sharoff, William Zbaren, and Tim Samuleson will share the captivating story of the spectacular
architecture of the century-old Wrigley Building—its design, construction, and enduring
significance as one of Chicago’s most emblematic buildings.
The Wrigley represents
the high-water mark of Beaux-Arts Classicism in the city, a gleaming white palazzo
at the head of Michigan Avenue, Chicago’s grandest boulevard. With lavish terra-cotta
ornamentation, it was Chicago’s tallest building when it opened in 1921.?The book
focuses on the intertwined stories of William Wrigley Jr. (1861-1932), the larger-than-life
founder of the chewing gum empire, and Charles Gerhard Beersman (1888-1946), the relatively
unknown architect who, mentored by architect Julia Morgan, FAIA (1872-1957), brought
the building to life. Morgan’s Herald Examiner Building in Los Angeles was a primary influence on the Wrigley Building’s spectacular Beaux Arts ornamentation.
Sharoff is a Chicago-based architectural
writer and author. Samuelson is Chicago’s first cultural historian, who now
works for the city’s Commission on Chicago Landmarks. Zbaren is an architectural
photographer for The New York Times, Architectural Record, and other publications. The
fourth contributor is John Vinci, FAIA, principal emeritus of Chicago-based Vinci
Hamp Architects.
Authors on Architecture:
Wrigley—Saturday, November 1,
2025; 11 AM-12:30 PM Pacific. Neutra Office Building, 2379 Glendale
Blvd.; street
parking only; we regret this in-person event is not ADA accessible. $5. Go
to www.sahscc.org and pay
via PayPal; or mail in order form on with check. Zoom link sent upon registration.
