Encyclopedia Britannica (now Metropolitan Tower)
310 S. Michigan Avenue
Originally known as the Straus Building when completed in 1924, it was officially named the Britannica Building from 1980 until 2004. This space was turned into condos—242 of them, including penthouses with panoramic views—after EB left in 2005. EB, founded in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1768, "to inspire curiosity and the joy of learning, and to ensure that a new generation of learners can engage more deeply with the changing world around them” permanently relocated to Chicago in 1930. It was acquired by University of Chicago vice president William Benton in 1943. EB allowed middle-class people to easily access knowledge. UC Chancellor Robert Maynard Hutchins chaired EB’s Board of Editors, and along with Mortimer Adler launched the Great Books of the Western World in 1952.
