Straus Building Tower Crown Editorial Image

This is a Winter picture of the iconic tower crown of the Straus Building built in 1924, now the Metropolitan Building, located on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois in Cook County. The tower`s crown has many symbols for characteristics the Straus Company wanted to portray. The pyramid symbolized longevity and permanence and the beehive stood for industry and thrift. When first installed, the beehive also contained four directional beacons, a metaphor for the company`s global reach. The pyramid is supported by the four bisons, a traditional symbol for the American West. Straus was hoping to use these symbols to instill trust in their customers, to reassure them that their investments would be handled actively and carefully by an institution that could be trusted over the long term. This picture was taken on January 25, 2018.