One Pru stood as a beacon of rebirth for Chicago when completed in 1955, as it ended a two-decade hiatus of skyscraper construction following The Great Depression and the economic strain of World War II. The city’s tallest building at the time, One Pru quickly became Chicago’s most prestigious office address, serving as headquarters to some of the world’s largest companies, including pioneering ad agency Leo Burnett. A bas relief of the Rock of Gibraltar (Prudential’s logo) by sculptor Alfonso Iannelli is prominently visible on the exterior of a 1968 addition.
Nearly four decades later, neighboring Two Pru added 58 stories of striking postmodernist architecture to Chicago’s skyline. Designed by Stephen Wright, the building’s chevron setbacks are unmistakable from any angle. At its completion, Two Pru was the tallest reinforced concrete structure in the world at 995 feet and won several awards for structural design.
