Douglas (Bronzeville) in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Armour Flats

Federal and 33rd streets

— Est: 1881 —

Armour Flats Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 13, 2026

1. Armour Flats Marker

Inscription. To house employees of his meat-packing facility, Philip D. Armour Sr. constructed a series of apartments that filled the area bounded by 33rd Street, Armour Street (now Federal), 34th Street, and Dearborn Street.

The building included 194 apartments that Armour expected managers of his company to rent. He used the profits to meet the expenses of Armour Mission. Changing demographics saw a reduced occupancy of the apartments, and by the end of 1919, 131 apartments had been demolished. Of those remaining, Armour Institute acquired 63 for academic purposes, with 48 on the east side of Armour Avenue converted into a unit that later housed its Physics Building and Chapin Hall.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Education • Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1881.

Location. 41° 50.076′ N, 87° 37.673′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Douglas (Bronzeville). It is at the intersection of 33rd Street and Dearborn Street, on the right when traveling east on 33rd Street. The marker is on

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the campus of Illinois Institute of Technology. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chicago IL 60616, 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: Our Hometown: Chicago (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Our Hometown: Chicago (about 500 feet away); S.R. Crown Hall (about 700 feet away); Crown Hall (about 700 feet away); State Street (approx. ¼ mile away); Welcome to Bronzeville (approx. ¼ mile away); William J. Otterson (approx. ¼ mile away); John Walter Humphrey (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

Regarding Armour Flats. The part of the building that survived after 1919 was eventually torn down in 1968. The

Armour Flats Marker and its former site image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 13, 2026

2. Armour Flats Marker and its former site

location of the building today includes IIT’s Galvin Library.

Philip D. Armour was a meatpacking magnate who donated $1 million in 1893 to found the Armour Institute of Technology here on the south side of Chicago. That school merged with Lewis Institute in 1940 to form the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Also see . . .
1. College Students Dig To Uncover Long-Buried History Of Armour Flats And Mission On IIT Campus. A 2023 article only Block Club Chicago about excavation efforts at the former site of Armour Flats.

Excerpt: “A team of student archaeologists is digging to tell the long-buried stories of a grassy South Side site which once housed meatpacking officials, a church congregation and academics at a predecessor to the Illinois Institute of Technology.”

(Submitted on May 13, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Armour Mission records, 1881-1931. From the Illinois Institute of Technology website.

Excerpt: "The Armour Mission was a non-sectarian Christian church congregation and quasi-settlement house on Chicago's South Side in the late 1800s.It stood at the south-east corner of 33rd St. and
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, May 13, 2026

3. Armour Flats Marker
Federal St. on Chicago's South Side and was built by brothers Joseph and Philip D. Armour of Armour Meatpacking Company. The Mission was conceived of as a Sunday School for neighborhood children, but soon expanded to offer Sunday services and Bible classes under the guidance of Rev. John D. McCord as well as sponsoring societies for adults and children."

(Submitted on May 13, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Armour Flats image. Click for full size.

University Archives and Special Collections, Galvin Library, Illinois Institute of Technology, circa 1920

4. Armour Flats

Philip D. Armour Sr. (1832-1901) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Charles D. Mosher; courtesy of Chicago History Museum (ICHi-009424), circa 1880

5. Philip D. Armour Sr. (1832-1901)

Philip Armour was a meatpacking magnate who established Chicago-based Armour & Company, which became the world's largest food processing company. Armour donated $1 million in 1893 to found the Armour Institute of Technology; that school merged with the Lewis Institute in 1940 to become the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 13, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 13, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.