May-June 2025.
Aurora’s Leland Tower was once the tallest skyscraper outside of Chicago (which is currently Helmut Jahn’s Oakbrook Terrace Tower). It is still Aurora’s tallest building downtown by a wide margin, and its great height dominates its neighbors.
Leland Tower is located at 7 South Stolp Avenue in downtown Aurora, Illinois. It is bordered by Galena Boulevard and the Hotel Aurora to the north, Millennium Plaza to the south, Stolp Avenue and the Block & Kuhl Store to the east, and the Fox River to the west.
History
For such a prominent building in both Aurora and Illinois as a whole, one would think that the Leland Tower would have more available history than it does. It’s not individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places (it’s part of the larger Stolp Island Historic District) and Wikipedia’s cited sources are either dead links or dubious. I’ll begin with the concrete information I do have:
Historic photo of the Leland Hotel before Millenium Plaza was built. (City of Aurora on Facebook)
Leland Tower was built in 1928 as a luxury hotel. It was designed by architects Anker Sveere Graven and Arthur Guy Mayger in what they referred to as “a modern adaptation of the Italian Romanesque style,” but it seems more Renaissance Revival to me. At 22 stories, it was then the tallest building in Illinois outside of Chicago.
The top floor of the hotel housed the Sky Club, a penthouse restaurant that became an important entertainment hub for Aurora and the Chicago area. Wikipedia claims that it was popular with the upper class, and celebrities such as Philip Wrigley (of gum company fame) and Gene Autry were seen there.
The hotel struggled throughout the Great Depression and endured a series of foreclosures. In 1965, owner Ward Gosselin cut his losses and sold Leland Tower. It was purchased by the Teamsters, who intended to use it as a retirement home for their members, but they ran out of money mid-renovation. The building continued to cycle through various owners until the 1980s, when it was converted into an apartment complex.
1980s view of the tower. (NRHP listing)
The building remains in use as apartments today. The photos online show that all historic character in the rooms has been removed (which probably occurred before the building was converted, and it was simply renovated again). It’s also supposedly haunted by guests who committed suicide by jumping off the roof and various ghosts and “energy fields,” which I don’t really lend credence to but other people seem to believe.
Photos
I think this is Aurora’s most photogenic building. Its height and freedom on all four sides provide many great opportunities for good shots. I’ll explore Leland Tower as I typically saw it, which was biking along the west side of the Fox River from the north. When I would take a break in Aurora, this would be my view of the building:
I know it’s the rear, but like its neighbor the Graham Building, it acknowledges the river and the facade is designed in a similar manner to the principal street-facing side. The blank side is unusual--it may indicate that a neighbor equal in stature was intended at one point, but I’m sure any plans for that were kiboshed by the Great Depression. You can see the stone covering the party wall where its Gilded Age neighbor (the Isle Theater) used to stand.
Leland Tower hinges a bit in plan to adjust for the curve of the river:
Also note how the base cantilevers over the concrete wall below. Here’s a closer look:
This loggia seems more Renaissance-y to me than Romanesque, given that loggias are common on palazzos and other Renaissance typologies, as well as the fact that the vaulting is not emphasized or recessed and blends in with the rest of the wall. The classical corbels above are also uncommon on Romanesque designs.
Detail of the spandreled windows and column capital:
The capital is the lone Romanesque feature so far across the facade. The spandrels could be seen as the same, since they have organic ornamentation, but they’re less distinctive than the column capital.
Above, an interesting effect I noticed was the blending of masonry:
Fun fact: this stone-like material, which I originally thought was limestone or something similar, is actually terra-cotta designed to look like limestone. This likely saved costs and reduced the structural weight of this portion.
Each window that begins the hotel portion has a unique panel of an animal below it, though some are repeated. I think this was the farthest my telephoto lens could zoom in, as I would have taken closer pictures if I could have. A rooster:
Goose/mallard:
Dog:
The north side’s base:
More interesting features here. This portion retains some original wooden sash windows, mainly the arched ones and the central, open one on the third floor. What intrigues me is the portal with the subtly pointed arch on the left side, which is not a Renaissance feature and certainly not a Romanesque one. The ornamental panel above also seems like a Gothic design, though I’ll admit I’m not very familiar with art history.
This is the first building I’ve really had to crane my neck and use my widest angle for:
Looking southwest:
The building isn’t angled here, but the same projection happens in the rear. The base is almost castle-like, expressed somewhat as a separate palazzo that the tower springs from:
She’s tall…
Up front, the palazzo design is even more obvious, due to the symmetry and massing:
It’s interesting how the two southern windows are interrupted by spandrels midway through, which also happens on the other side. I think the canopy is original, based on the hardware and coffering, but it has been clad with new panels.
The unadorned side, viewed from near the Keystone Building:
Looking north from the Downer Place bridge:
Let’s focus on the crown of Leland Tower now. The regular rectangular windows are interrupted by blank courses of brick, and vaulted recesses serve as the final windows on the building:
Interestingly, some bricks project from the face of the building, which adds texture. The areas around the windows are additionally carved with pilasters and various patterns:
The cornice is probably best known for its use during the winter, where a tree is lit up on top:
Obviously not the greatest angle since the lights face northwest, but at least you can see how it works.
Last one…a good example of how the tower is best seen from a distance:
I always knew the Leland Tower was “Aurora’s skyscraper” having grown up nearby, but it was cool to learn more as I progressed through my studies and ultimately photographed and researched the building.
Sources:
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