important and intact original c. 1911 ornamental cast iron interior elevator cab push button call box removed from the people's gas & light coke building located in downtown chicago. the flush-mount metal enclosure is remarkably ornate, featuring beaded borders, cartouches surrounding the buttons and detailed anthemions. the people's gas & loight coke building design is indicative of its time, which employs the standard three-piece skyscraper formation, plus lots of classical embellishments like ornamental lions along the balustrade at the top. its hundreds of windows reflect the nature of its design -- to serve a huge and growing company with thousands of workers. at the time of its construction, rows of small windows were traditional because of engineering limitations of the era. but this building was erected at the beginning of a new era. one where steel carried the weight of the building, not the exterior walls. the building does have a steel skeleton, but rather than supporting the entire building, steel cantilevers transfer the weight of the majority of the building onto a frame to keep the upper stories from crushing the decorative granite columns and other elements from the third floor down. the 22-story building was designed by the architectural firm of daniel burnham & co., chicago, il. the elevator call button box was likely fabricated by the elevator supply & repair co., chicago, il. measures 14 x 2 1/2 x 2 inches.