The Loop District in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Site of Morton Salt Company Headquarters

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025

1. Site of Morton Salt Company Headquarters Marker

Inscription. The Morton Salt Company was the largest producer of salt in the United States in 1958, when its new corporate headquarters was completed on this city block site. The five-story building was considered one of the jewels of the new Wacker Drive extension and included a lounge at the river level. Its cutting-edge design featured early and extensive use of stainless steel, as exhibited in its horizontal bands of windows and spandrels. It was a noteworthy modernist work by the prolific Chicago-based firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, which was the successor firm of D.H. Burnham & Company. One of the Morton Building's original stainless panels supports this plaque and additional original stainless panels are incorporated into the newly constructed building on this site at the lower river level.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1958.

Location. 41° 53.062′ N, 87° 38.248′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in The Loop District. It is on Randolph Street west of North Wacker Drive, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 110 North Wacker Drive, Chicago IL 60606, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least

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8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Site of the Sauganash Hotel/Wigwam (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lincoln's Nomination Site (about 500 feet away); Sauganash Hotel - Chicago - 1831 (about 500 feet away); First Post Office (about 500 feet away); Wacker Drive (about 500 feet away); Illinois Bell Telephone Company War Memorial (about 600 feet away); Lake-Franklin Group (about 700 feet away); Civic Opera Building (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

Regarding Site of Morton Salt Company Headquarters. Morton Salt originated in Chicago in 1848 as a salt distributor called Richmond & Company; it was renamed around 1889 by Joy Morton, a businessman who had acquired a major interest in the firm. Morton Salt occupied the building referenced on this marker from its opening in 1958 until 1990. It has has had a few different corporate homes since then, and is, as of 2025, headquartered at 444 W. Lake St. General Growth Properties, a real estate firm, occupied the building from the late 1990s until it was torn down in 2018 and replaced with the current 57-story tower that opened in 2020. The primary occupant of this building is Bank of America.

Morton Salt's former warehouse complex has long been a landmark on the Kennedy Expressway northwest of downtown; in the early

Morton Salt Company Headquarters Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025

2. Morton Salt Company Headquarters Marker

The Chicago River runs in the rear of this photo

2020s it was converted into a music venue called the Salt Shed. Joy Morton is also the namesake of the Morton Arboretum in west suburban Lisle.

Also see . . .
1. Morton Salt Headquarters Slated for Demolition. Docomomo Chicago website entry (2016) (Submitted on December 22, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. From the Chicago Architecture Center, a history of the famed architectural firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, which was responsible for many iconic Chicago buildings, including the Civic Opera House, the Wrigley Building, Merchandise Mart and the Old Post Office. (Submitted on April 16, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Bank of America Tower (110 N. Wacker) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, April 14, 2025

3. Bank of America Tower (110 N. Wacker)

This tower, which officially opened in 2020, replaced the 1958 Morton Salt headquarters building. The historical marker is in the buliding's plaza, just behind the bridge's tower in this photo.

Morton Salt Company Headquarters (2016 photo) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, November 1, 2016

4. Morton Salt Company Headquarters (2016 photo)

The five-story modernist building was the headquarters of General Growth Properties, a real estate firm, from 1997 until it was torn down in 2018 and replaced by the 57-story Bank of America Tower.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 16, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 427 times since then and 138 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 16, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.