Carrara Marble Countertops in Chicago: Lessons From the Rookery

White Carrara marble kitchen countertop in a Chicago home

Written by the Al Jory Marble team, countertop fabricators and installers in Crestwood, Illinois. Published November 6, 2026.

Walk into the Rookery on LaSalle Street and look up. Light pours through the glass ceiling and bounces off walls of bright white marble trimmed in gold. It’s one of the prettiest rooms in Chicago, and it’s a great place to fall in love with Carrara marble countertops before you put them in your own Chicago kitchen.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Marble Makeover

The Rookery was designed by Burnham and Root and finished in 1888. In 1905, building manager Edward Waller hired Frank Lloyd Wright to update the lobby and light court.

Wright stripped out much of the old ironwork and covered the space in white Carrara marble, incised and gilded with ornament inspired by Persian design. The gold lines are cut right into the stone. The lobby was restored in 1992, and it still looks stunning today.

Want to See It in Person?

Where: 209 S. LaSalle St., Chicago. Enter through the Adams Street door.
Lobby hours: Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Tours: The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust runs 45-minute Light Court tours on weekdays for $15.
Photos: Phones and handheld cameras are fine. No tripods.

What Carrara Looks Like

Carrara is the classic white marble from Italy. Think soft white or light gray stone with fine, feathery gray veins. It’s quieter than Calacatta, which has bolder veining. If you love a calm, bright kitchen, Carrara is hard to beat.

See how it compares to other bright stones in our post on white countertops: Calacatta, Carrara, Super White and more.

How Carrara Wears in a Real Kitchen

Here’s the honest part. Marble is made of calcite, and the Natural Stone Institute explains what that means for you:

It etches. Acids like lemon juice, vinegar and wine can leave dull spots on the surface.
It’s softer than granite. Marble rates about 3.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, while quartzite rates about 7.
Sealing helps with stains, but it won’t stop etching.
It develops a patina. Over time, marble picks up character, and many people love that lived-in look.

So the Rookery’s marble looks amazing after more than 100 years, but it has never had to survive spaghetti sauce and lemonade.

Where Carrara Works Best

Bathroom vanities. Low acid, low traffic, and it looks beautiful. See our bathroom vanity tops.
Fireplace surrounds. No cooking, no spills. Read our stone fireplace surround guide.
Baking stations. Bakers love cool marble for rolling dough.
Kitchens, if you’re fine with a little patina.

Love the Look but Want Less Upkeep?

Quartzite gives you a natural white stone that’s much harder. See our quartzite countertops.
Quartz gives you a marble look with almost no upkeep. See our Calacatta quartz countertops.

Still deciding? Our quartz vs. marble guide breaks it down.

Simple Care Tips for Carrara

Wipe up lemon, wine, vinegar and tomato right away
Use coasters and cutting boards
Clean with mild, pH-neutral soap and water
Reseal as your fabricator recommends
Think about a honed finish, which hides etching better than polished

See Carrara Slabs in Crestwood

Our Carrara and Calacatta marble countertops are cut, edged and polished in our own Crestwood shop. Al Jory Marble is a family-owned Chicago countertop fabricator, founded in 2015 by Naser and Motie Hamdan. Naser has spent 45 years working with stone.

Al Jory Marble
4711 W. 135th St., Crestwood, IL 60418
Phone: (708) 362-7674
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Get a free, no-obligation estimate or browse our kitchen countertops in Chicago.