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

Former Site of the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station

Chicago, Illinois

Photographed by Sean Flynn, August 14, 2024

1. Former Site of the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station Marker

Inscription. Dedicated to the brave service members who passed through these doors on their way to serve our country in conflicts far and wide

Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Military • War, Vietnam.

Location. 41° 52.597′ N, 87° 38.596′ W. Memorial is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in West Loop. It is on West Van Buren Street west of Jefferson Street. The marker is near the entrance north entrance to the building, whose main address is 400 South Jefferson. Touch for map. Memorial is at or near this postal address: 615 West Van Buren Street, Chicago IL 60661, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

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this memorial is in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in 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: Haberdasher Square Lofts: A Landmark of Chicago's Industrial Past (about 700 feet away); The Milwaukee Road (approx. 0.2 miles away); St. Patrick's Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Gráinne Sculpture/Gráinne Garden (approx. 0.2 miles away); St. Patrick's (approx. 0.2 miles away); Charles R. Walgreen Sr.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, August 14, 2024

2. Former Site of the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station Marker

(approx. 0.3 miles away); Walgreens 3000th Drugstore (approx. 0.3 miles away); Takeaway (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Lou Mitchell's Restaurant & Bakery, Chicago, Illinois (was about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been permanently removed).

More about this memorial. Both the style and text of the top half of this marker match that of the sign that hung at this entrance when it was an Army induction center during the Vietnam War.

Regarding Former Site of the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station. This Art Moderne structure, whose main address is 400 S. Jefferson, was constructed

Photographed by Sean Flynn, August 14, 2024

3. Former Site of the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station Marker

in 1946 for the Newman-Rudolph Lithographing Company. Newman-Rudolph moved out in 1966, and later that year the building was partially occupied by the Selective Service, which used it to process new enlistees and draftees during the Vietnam era.

The building was renovated in 2011 and was most recently the home of offices for Tyson Foods. The Chicago School, a medical college, acquired the building in 2024 to serve as a consolidated campus and moved in two years later.

Also see . . .
1. Waiting for the Skin: 400 South Jefferson Stripped to the Bones. From 2012, a blog post about Sterling Bay's renovation of the 400 South Jefferson building which, during the Vietnam era, was home to an

Army Induction Center, 1967 image. Click for full size.

Courtesy of Chuckman Archive, circa 1967

4. Army Induction Center, 1967

In this Vietnam-era photograph taken at the spot where the historical marker is located today, men enter the Army Induction Center at 615 W. Van Buren.

Army induction facility for enlisted men and draftees. (Submitted on August 15, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. WIN: Former Newman-Rudolph Lithographing/Hillshire Foods Building Will Become Medical School. Preservation Chicago, a historic preservation group, writes about successful efforts to save the Newman-Rudolph building. (Submitted on September 4, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Former Site of the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 27, 2025

5. Former Site of the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station

Credits. This page was last revised on September 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 1,760 times since then and 290 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 15, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 5. submitted on September 27, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.