The former Palmolive and Playboy building is an Art Moderne triumph. A flat blade of a building rising into the air with dignity, power, and presence that once put it on par with New York’s Empire State Building. The building is similar to the LaSalle-Wacker building, but more streamlined with vertical channels running up the façade, reinforcing its height. This was unnecessary for most of the tower’s early life. At the time it was completed, it was well outside the skyscraper forest sprouting in The Loop. Erected in the then-tranquil Gold Coast neighborhood, the Palmolive Building far exceeded any of its neighbors in height. And at the summit of this mass of steel and stone was an illuminated beacon. This was a more common feature on Chicago skyscrapers in the early 20th century than it is now. It is debated whether this was intended to aid air or sea traffic, though some say it was known as the “Lindbergh Beacon,” and named after famed aviator Charles Lindbergh. The light, estimated to be 2,000,000,000 candlepower, was extinguished as neighboring buildings grew taller, much to the relief of people who live in them.