Loft lovers get a little art history thrown into the mix at The Franklin Building, 720 S Dearborn St. Back in the day, artist Oskar Gross created a series of little mosaics depicting the history of printing on the building’s facade.
According to the official Web site for the loft development, the 14-story building was designed by architect George C Nimmons, and constructed in 1916 by The Franklin Printing Company. It housed a printing press until 1983.
The building, which features distinctive terra cotta ornamental tile on the east side of its facade, reopened as a loft development in 1989, according to the development’s Web site. An inscription on the terra cotta tile reads: “The excellence of every art must consist in the complete accomplishment of its purpose.”