Lots of glass, spandrels, and angles help turn what could have been a boring old glass block into a fairly respectable office building. 200 North LaSalle is a hard building to appreciate. It's best view is blocked by elevated rail lines, and the sun rarely shines a the right angle to really fire this place up. But on a warm summer morning, after a brisk rain shower, the tower positively gleams.

At one time, the building was known as the Florsheim Tower, named after the shoe manufacturer, which put its flagship store and demonstration factory in the ground floor. That store is long gone -- replaced by a series of office supply stores and lunch joints have moved in and out of the space.