The view is directly toward Lake Michigan, seen at the top of the image. The church steeple is that of the Second Presbyterian Church, at the northeast corner of Wabash and Washington, known less formally as the "spotted church" and the "Church of the Holy Zebra" because of the patterns in its stone exterior. Its architect was James Renwick, who designed New York's Grace Cathedral and St. Patrick's Cathedral, as well as the "Castle" building of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.