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
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, this memorial 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: Haberdasher Square Lofts: A Landmark of Chicago's Industrial Past
this page online
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 building, whose main address is 400 South Jefferson, was constructed in 1946 for the Newman-Rudolph Lithographing Company, which moved out in 1966. That year it was partially occupied by the Selective Service, which processed new enlistees and draftees here during the
Photographed by Sean Flynn, August 14, 2024
2. Former Site of the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station Marker
The building was renovated in 2011 and was most recently the home of offices for Tyson Foods. In 2024, the Chicago School, a medical college, announced it would acquire the building.
Also see . . . 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 facility for enlisted men and draftees. (Submitted on August 15, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed by Sean Flynn, August 14, 2024
3. Former Site of the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station Marker
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.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 27, 2025
5. Former Site of the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on September 27, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 1,713 times since then and 243 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.
