Blum Building / Torco Building

Category: Preserved

Still referred to as the "Torco Building" because of the large oval sign for Torco Motor Oil which remains on top. Originally constructed in 1908 as an 8-story building; an additional 7 floors were added in 1922. Alfred Alschuler was the architect of the upper floors. Bought by Columbia College in 1991; the school's main library occupies the first 5 floors. Before the Torco sign was installed, a giant rectangular Shell sign with the oil company's seashell logo stood on the roof. Blum’s Vogue was a fashionable women’s clothier featuring high end imported and domestic women’s fashions. This store and stores like it gave Michigan Avenue its reputation as an elegant shopping district during the age of the railroads.