Conway Building
Also known as: Chicago Title and Trust Building
Why it's listed
Rising twenty-one stories at Clark and Washington streets in the Chicago Loop, this office building with ground-floor shops was designed in 1912 by D.H. Burnham & Company and completed in 1915 by Graham, Burnham & Company. Its steel frame rests on 104 concrete caissons carried 110 feet to bedrock, and offices surround a large light well. Granite clads the lower floors, while gray terra cotta carries bands of palmette and fleur-de-lis ornament above. Its most distinctive feature is the set of rounded corners, unusual for a square plan. The building is considered the last to emerge from Burnham's office before his death in 1912. It was built for the Estate of Marshall Field on a site once occupied by a church, a music hall and the Chicago Opera House. A 1945-1947 remodeling filled part of the light well and changed the entrance, and restoration of those spaces was under way when the nomination was prepared.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is the last building to come from D.H. Burnham's office before his death on June 1, 1912, and a transitional work between D.H. Burnham & Company and Graham, Burnham & Company. Its rounded corners on a square plan are described as a unique feature, and it was built for the Estate of Marshall Field, a major Chicago real estate investor.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 84000988, listed February 9, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 111 W. Washington St., Chicago |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | February 9, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84000988 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1912-1915 |
| Architect / builder | D.H. Burnham & Company/Graham, Burnham & Company |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts (early twentieth-century tall office building) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Economics, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied and in good condition, with alterations. The cornice and roof balustrade have been removed, and a 1945-1947 remodeling altered the entrance and interior. The owner was reportedly restoring the original entrance niche and rotunda at the time of nomination. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.88281, -87.63135 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 84000988.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18589155
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.