{"id":12034,"date":"2026-08-25T14:39:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T19:39:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loopchicago.com\/?p=12034"},"modified":"2026-08-25T14:39:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T19:39:45","slug":"the-iconic-loop-weather-bell-is-lighting-up-into-a-new-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loopchicago.com\/es\/chicago-loop-blog\/the-iconic-loop-weather-bell-is-lighting-up-into-a-new-era\/","title":{"rendered":"The iconic Loop weather bell is lighting up into a new era"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">5 MIN READ &#8212; The Weather Bell has been a long-standing landmark in the Loop for 75 years. Now it&#8217;s being restored for a different era.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So, what is the Loop Weather Bell, and what makes it so iconic? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the northwest corner of the <strong>Rector Building<\/strong> at 79 W. Monroe sits the iconic weather bell. The weather bell first came into the picture in <strong>1951<\/strong>, when Bell Savings &amp; Loan Association took over the building. Employees put the weather bell sign on the building, including a clock, so passersby could see the anticipated weather and the time. The acrylic bell <strong>changed colors<\/strong> to alert passersby of coming weather conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the age before smartphones, this was incredibly helpful, as people couldn&#8217;t rely on their personal devices to check the weather. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What do the colors mean?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the <a href=\"https:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/architecture-design\/2026\/07\/14\/iconic-loop-weather-bell-rector-bell-federal-savings-loan-shine-again-years-dark\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/architecture-design\/2026\/07\/14\/iconic-loop-weather-bell-rector-bell-federal-savings-loan-shine-again-years-dark\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chicago Sun-Times&#8217; recent article<\/a><strong> <\/strong>on the weather bell, they shared a little rhyme former employees used to note what the different colors mean: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>When Weather Bell is emerald green <br>No Change in temperature is foreseen<br>When Weather Bell is glowing red <br>Warmer Weather is ahead<br>When Weather Bell is gleaming gold <br>A temperature drop is foretold<br>When Weather Bell is in agitation <br>Prepare yourself for precipitation<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-center\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><video controls src=\"https:\/\/loopchicago.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_3457-1.mov\"><\/video><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">The weather bell sign hasn&#8217;t worked for years, but that&#8217;s now changing. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">R2 Companies, a private equity real estate firm, is working on redeveloping the Rector Building which is where the sign is located.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">This redevelopment project is a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicago.gov\/city\/en\/depts\/dcd\/provdrs\/hist\/news\/2025\/march\/loop-s-rector-building-honored-with-landmark-status.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$64 million residential conversion <\/a><\/strong>project of the Rector Building, and a small piece of this will be used to restore the Weather Bell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">Small improvements to the sign include <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/architecture-design\/2026\/07\/14\/iconic-loop-weather-bell-rector-bell-federal-savings-loan-shine-again-years-dark\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">upgrading the Bell&#8217;s lighting and installing controls<\/a><\/strong> to enhance the weather detection capabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/architecture-design\/2026\/07\/14\/iconic-loop-weather-bell-rector-bell-federal-savings-loan-shine-again-years-dark\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/chicago.suntimes.com\/architecture-design\/2026\/07\/14\/iconic-loop-weather-bell-rector-bell-federal-savings-loan-shine-again-years-dark\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Now, the weather bell will be renamed &#8220;Bellwether&#8221;<\/a><\/strong> to honor the building&#8217;s new name after the restoration is complete, &#8220;The Bellwether Residences&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next time you are at the corner of 79 W. Monroe, take a look up at the weather bell and note the color; it just might predict the forecast for the remainder of your day! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can view the video version of this article linked <strong>here<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>5 MIN READ &#8212; The Weather Bell has been a long-standing landmark in the Loop for 75 years. Now it&#8217;s being restored for a different era. So, what is the Loop Weather Bell, and what makes it so iconic? On the northwest corner of the Rector Building at 79 W. Monroe sits the iconic weather &#8230;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":12037,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[14,64],"class_list":["post-12034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-loop-news","tag-cultural-institutions","tag-economic-data"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The iconic Loop weather bell is lighting up into a new era - Loop Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"5 MIN READ -- The Weather Bell has been a long-standing landmark in the Loop for 75 years. Now? 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