Boyce Building: A Chicago Landmark

The Boyce Building, located at 54 W Illinois St in Chicago's Near North Side, is a significant historical landmark with a rich story to tell. Constructed in stages from 1911 to 1923, it served as the headquarters for William D. Boyce's publishing company, the W. D. Boyce Publishing Company, which was a leading magazine publisher at the time. Boyce's company produced periodicals like “The Saturday Blade” and “The Chicago Ledger,” reaching millions of readers in rural and small-town America.The building itself is an architectural gem, originally designed by D.H. Burnham & Co. and later expanded by Christian Eckstrom. Its twelve stories are clad in light gray Vermont granite and red brick, showcasing the Chicago School of architecture with its steel-frame construction and large windows. At the time of its completion, it was the tallest office building north of the Chicago River and west of Michigan Avenue. The building also housed five printing presses and a mail room. At full capacity, it could produce 180,000 papers per hour.Beyond its publishing history, the Boyce Building is also notable for its connection to the Boy Scouts of America. William D. Boyce was one of the organization's founders, and the building served as the North American headquarters for the Lone Scouts of America from 1915 to 1924. Boyce even used the building's penthouse as his personal residence, calling it his “sky bungalow”. The Boyce Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 29, 1996. Today, the Boyce Building is home to various office tenants and restaurants.