Originally erected in 1906 for The John Breuner Furniture Company, the Tribune low rise portion of the building acted as a store and showroom for the company until newspaper publisher Joseph Russell Knowland decided to make it the new headquarters for the Oakland Tribune. Tribune publisher Joseph Knowland had the 22 story tower constructed in the 1920’s, which was inspired by the campanile of Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy. Using Renaissance, Baroque, and Spanish colonial style ornamentation, the 300 foot tower was completed in 1923 and was heralded as the tallest skyscraper in the East Bay. In 1923 the Tribune Tower received national attention when famous magician and escape artist Harry Houdini broke free from his straightjacket while dangling from the ninth story of the tower. Today, the 11-foot tall neon letters that spell “Tribune” still shine brightly thanks to Bay Area artist and Burning Man founder, John Law, who started working in the tower in the 1980’s as a neon sign technician. Now under new ownership, Highbridge Equity Partners is modernizing the Tribune Tower and adding to the rich history of one of the Bay Area’s most iconic buildings.