I bought a nearly 100-year-old skyscraper in Chicago and want to preserve its identity while making a few changes. Here's what I plan to do.

Skyscraper Media

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Tom Liravongsa, or Tom the Skyscraper Guy, a real estate investor who purchased the majority of the Pittsfield Building, a 38-story skyscraper in Chicago that has been partially vacant for nearly a decade. Liravongsa is turning the former office building into residences. The building was built in 1927 and landmarked in 2002. The conversations have been edited for length and clarity.