Greater Grand Crossing in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Cold Storage Warehouse Fire Memorial
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 17, 2026
1. Cold Storage Warehouse Fire Memorial Marker
In memorial
Cold Storage Warehouse Fire
World's Fair
July 10, 1893.
James Fitzpatrick Capt. Jamer A. Garvey Capt. Burton E. Page Capt. Charles W. Purves Lieut William Benning John H. Freeman Phlip J. Green Paul Schoeder Ralph A. Drummond Bernard Murphy Louis J. Frank John A. Smith John McBride John Cahill Norman M. Hartman
Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Notable Events. A significant historical date for this entry is July 10, 1893.
Location. 41° 46.293′ N, 87° 35.953′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Greater Grand Crossing. It is on Magnolia Road south of East 67th Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1035 East 67th Street, Chicago IL 60619, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker and memorial is on Chicagos South Side. It is also 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: 9/11 Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Relic of the Chicago Fire (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Jesse Owens (about 700 feet away); Roland W. Burris, Esq. (approx. 0.2 miles away); Confederate Mound (approx. 0.4 miles away); Memorial to Union Supporters from Southern States (approx. 0.4 miles away); Confederate Mound Monument (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Confederate Dead at Oak Woods Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers
this page online
Regarding Cold Storage Warehouse Fire Memorial. The Cold Storage Warehouse was located on the southwestern edge of the grounds of the World's Columbian Exposition; the site is close to where the Jackson Park Fieldhouse stands on Stony Island Ave. near 64th Street.
Known as the "Greatest Refrigerator on Earth," the food storage warehouse also had an ice rink on the top floor. The building's more than 200-foot-high chimney was hidden by the construction of a wooden tower, whose cupola rested less than three feet above the chimney's flue. A small fire broke out there on July 10 around 1 p.m., drawing firefighters to the scene. As they reached the top of the cupola, the fire spread below them, and several of them could not escape. Captain James Fitzpatrick, the final man on the tower, died after he tried to swing off the building but was injured in the fall; he died at the hospital.
In all, 15 people died in the fire, including four Chicago firefighters, eight firefighters who worked for the fair, and three civilians. It was the Chicago Fire Department's deadliest fire until the 1910 fire at Chicago's Union Stock Yard.
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 17, 2026
2. Cold Storage Warehouse Fire Memorial
Also see . . . Worlds Columbian Exposition Cold Storage Building Fire on July 10, 1893, Chicago. The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal provides a detailed description of the Cold Storage Warehouse fire that killed 15 people at the World's Columbian Exposition. According to this article, while only six men are known to be buried here at Oak Woods, the cemetery's archives state that seven men are entombed here beneath this memorial. It is not known who the seventh person is and how or if he was connected to the fire. (Submitted on October 19, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 17, 2026
3. Cold Storage Warehouse Fire Memorial at Oak Woods Cemetery
The memorial can be seen in the distance in the center. A 9/11 memorial is in the foreground.
Chicago Daily News collection, courtesy of Chicago History Museum (DN-C-5429), July 10, 1893
4. Cold Storage Warehouse Fire of 1893
A photographer for the Chicago Daily News captured the Cold Storage Warehouse at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition as it caught fire. The wooden central tower aflame in this picture was built to obscure the building's more than 200-foot-tall chimney.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 19, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 23 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 19, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.
