“There’s a warm nostalgic spot in Chicago’s brick, concrete and glass heart for those big vintage outdoor signs that were once plentiful in this town, especially the signage that told us the time and temperature. It’s a shame that signs like these have been vanishing from the city’s urban landscape since the 1990s.
“But we still have the old Bell Federal Savings weather sign that’s stood sentinel at the northwest corner of the Rector Building, 79 W. Monroe St., since the 1950s. The sign also has a lighted, acrylic bell that changes color to alert passersby of coming weather conditions — invaluable back in the days before cellphones and smartwatches gave us this information at a glance.
“The Bell Federal sign hasn’t worked for years. But that’s now changing as the device undergoes a renovation aimed at making it look and function as it did when it was new.
“‘It’s an icon for the city,’ said Gary Stoltz, principal and chief design and development officer for R2 Companies, which is redeveloping the Rector Building. ‘Everybody who’s spent time in the Loop, walking through the Loop, recognizes the building by the bell.’
“Built in 1905 for businessman and restaurateur Charles Rector and designed by architect Jarvis Hunt, the 14-story brick skyscraper blends into the background, thanks to tacked-on midcentury modernizations on the first and second floor exterior and the loss of an ornate cornice.
“The Rector was a better-looking building in its early years. And its nice details still exist — if you’re patient enough to look — such as the terra cotta ornament near the building’s top, and the way the structure’s window bays all arch at the 10th floor. By the 1920s, the Rector was home to the Chicago Trust Co., which added a Holabird & Roche-designed south addition to the building in 1923.
“Then in 1951, Bell Savings & Loan took over the building. The company, founded in 1925 by Illinois Bell Telephone Co. employees, put the lighted weather bell on the building and even came up with a jingle for it.
“R2 and Luxembourg’s Lagfin S.C.A. are handling the $64 million residential conversion of the Rector building. The project, which is part of City Hall’s LaSalle Corridor Revitalization plan, is being helped along by $28 million in tax increment financing funds from the city.
“Stoltz said the project includes upgrading the bell’s lighting, installing controls that can better anticipate the weather, then recladding the whole thing over the next few weeks. The sign’s digital clock will be rehabbed as well. And the bell’s name will change to reflect the building’s new moniker: The Bellwether Residences.
“Preservation Chicago Executive Director Ward Miller said he is pleased to see the weather bell being put back into action. ‘We are excited to see it relit and coming back,’ Miller said. ‘It was a unique feature, and people really depended on it.’” (Bey, Chicago Sun-Times, 7/14/26)
Ward Miller and Preservation Chicago were very involved in and supportive of the Chicago Landmark Designation process for the Rector Building, and we are delighted to see the the upper floors of the building are being converted to residential. moving forward as The Bellwether Residences. Landmark designation was an important step, and the restoration of the Bell Federal Savings weather bell is an extra bonus
Chicago has lost most of its great vintage signage, and each surviving example becomes more valuable as the others disappear. Preservation Chicago named the city’s historic neon and vintage signs to our 2015 Chicago 7 Most Endangered list, calling attention to the rapid loss of unique signage from commercial corridors across the city, and we supported the 2023 City Council ordinance protecting historic signs. The weather bell is a genuine piece of Loop folk memory — a building that generations of Chicagoans identified not by its address or its architect but by the glowing bell on its corner.
The Illinois State Historic Preservation Office required the weather bell’s restoration as part of its review. We encourage developers to pursue historic designation and to use the state and federal resources available to offset development costs. Historic projects tend to have more character and authenticity, and that character makes them more valuable and more profitable over the long run.
Preservation Chicago congratulates R2 Companies and Lagfin S.C.A. We look forward to the bell’s return, and we encourage the development team to consider restoring the Rector Building’s lost cornice in the future.
Read the full story at Chicago Sun-Times
Transformation of historic Loop office building into housing begins; Chicago Sun-Times, 3/27/25