The Carbide & Carbon Building's exterior accents use what precious metal?

The Carbide & Carbon Building's exterior accents use 24-karat gold leaf. The 1929 Chicago skyscraper was designed by Burnham Brothers for the Carbide and Carbon Corporation, whose products and industrial identity shaped the building's imagery.

Its exterior combines polished black granite, dark green terra cotta, gold leaf and bronze trim. The gold is especially prominent near the tower's crown, producing the famous dark-green-and-gold appearance often compared with a champagne bottle.

The decorative leaves are more than generic Art Deco ornament: they allude to the prehistoric plant matter that became carbon deposits. A common mix-up is calling the finish simply “gold” or assuming the bright detailing is bronze; the building uses both gold leaf and bronze, but they are distinct materials.

The building opened in 1929 at 230 North Michigan Avenue and rises 37 stories, or about 503 feet. It later served as a hotel, but its original industrial-era symbolism remains central to its architectural identity.