It's something of a mystery why 181 West Madison doesn't get more respect, publicity, and admiration. It had good height, a great design, a legendary architect, and excellent location. Still, unless you live or work in the neighborhood, you've probably never seen it jutting into the sky like a broken glass stalagmite.

The basic design would work equally well in stone and glass. The building emphasizes height through tall narrow windows, vertical spandrels, and setbacks. But rather than fade into the sky, the finials are coated with brilliant nickel to draw the eye even higher and finish in a sparkle of light. It's a classic Art Moderne skyscraper design updated for the modern age.

An interesting note is the way the building's windows are designed. Though it appears that they are individual narrow slits, in reality the windows are much wider, but subdivided by the decorative vertical elements.