Listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a prime example of mature Art Deco design, Loyola University's ornate limestone Skyscraper Building is one of Chicago's architectural treasures. Beginning with its construction in 1929 by the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mundelein College, a progressive women's school, the Skyscraper Building has always been part of an institution of higher education. The edifice was the world's first high-rise college and includes lavish materials with intricate details both inside and out. Over the last decade, the building underwent an extensive overhaul that addressed the stonework as well as other elements.
The 14-story structure is located on Sheridan Drive, along the beautiful Chicago lakefront. Its Art Deco-designed exterior consists of a structural steel frame, cast-in-place concrete, and common brick, clad in Standard Buff Gray Indiana limestone panels. Numerous carved limestone sculptures, including two 4-foot carved limestone angels at the entrance (which were the tallest sculptures in Chicago at that time) and an elaborate parapet wall embellish the facade.