The Old Colony Building was designed and constructed between
1893 and 1894 by the architectural firm of Holabird and Roche.
As Chicago School architects, they sought to reveal the
character of the steel skeletal structure while cladding their
buildings with an appropriate surface. The 17-story steel frame
building is sheathed in Bedford limestone on the first three
floors and by gray brick and terra cotta above that. A two-story
colonnade runs along the 15th and 16th floors with a cornice
crowning the 17th floor. Oriel windows project from every corner
of the building from the third story to the cornice. The
design's unity derives from the repetition of Chicago windows
along the second floor and in the center bay of the north
facade. Variety is found in the contrast between the horizontal
stress of the narrow north facade and the distinct vertical
thrust of the long east and west facades. The facade of the Old
Colony Building has remained intact, although major alterations
to the interior have occurred on the