The Loop District in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

300 West Adams Street Office Building

Jens J. Jensen, Architect; 1927

— Chicago Landmark —

300 West Adams Street Office Building Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn

1. 300 West Adams Street Office Building Marker

Inscription. This terra-cotta-clad office building is a handsome example of the Gothic Revival architectural style. Built on the site of an earlier wholesale warehouse for the Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. Department Store, the building exemplifies the developmental history of the West Loop in the 20th century as it changed from a manufacturing and warehouse area to one dominated by office buildings. The building retains a plethora of Gothic-style ornament, including tracery, rosettes, foliate details, and spiky finials in terra cotta, bronze and cast iron.

Designated May 13, 2009

Erected by Commission on Chicago Landmarks; City of Chicago.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Illinois, Chicago Landmarks Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1927.

Location. 41° 52.768′ N, 87° 38.125′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in The Loop District. It is at the intersection of West Adams Street and Franklin Street, on the left when traveling west on West Adams Street. Touch for map.

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Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 West Adams Street, Chicago IL 60606, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Brooks Building (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Field Building (about 700 feet away); Continental and Commercial Bank Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Rookery Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Number One City Datum (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Standard Time System in the United States (approx. 0.2 miles away); Civic Opera Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Chicago Board of Trade's Statues (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

More about this marker. Unlike most Chicago Landmark plaques, this one does not include the

300 West Adams Street Office Building and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn

2. 300 West Adams Street Office Building and Marker

Facing north, up Franklin Street.

name of the Chicago mayor at the time the building was designated, Richard M. Daley.

Regarding 300 West Adams Street Office Building. The Jens Jensen who designed this building is a different person than the famed Prairie School landscape architect Jens Jensen. According to the Chicago Commission on Landmarks, this architect Jensen's work was predominantly low-slung office and commercial buildings, and from the 1930s through the 1950s, Jensen was the leading designer of Jewel grocery stores across Chicagoland.

Also see . . .
1. Landmark Designation Report: 300 West Adams Street Office Building. A City of Chicago report on this building and its history, including photos of its most important elements. (Submitted on November 19, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Jensen & Jensen Architects. Jens J. Jensen Sr., designer of 300 W. Adams, partnered with his son, Jens Jr., towards the end of his career. Their firm, Jensen & Jensen, still exists to this day; it is headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois and led by Jens Sr.'s grandson. (Submitted on November 19, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Photographed by Sean Flynn, November 18, 2023

3. 300 West Adams Street Office Building and Marker

Facing west, down Adams Street. The northwest corner of Willis Tower can be seen on the far, upper left.

300 West Adams Street Office Building image. Click for full size.

1971

4. 300 West Adams Street Office Building

In this 1971 photograph included in an exhibit inside Willis Tower, 300 W. Adams can be seen at the top, across from the hole in the ground that would become the Willis Tower (originally known as Sears Tower).

Credits. This page was last revised on October 18, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 19, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 501 times since then and 77 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 19, 2023, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.