The Loop District in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Crane Company Building
Built 1913
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1913.
Location. 41° 52.244′ N, 87° 37.479′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in The Loop District. Marker can be reached from the intersection of 9th Street and South Michigan Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 888 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago IL 60605, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. 910 South Michigan (within shouting distance of this marker); John A. Logan (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Fairbanks Morse & Company Building (about 400 feet away); Aaron Montgomery Ward Gardens (about 600 feet away); Ludington Building (about 700 feet away); Blackstone Hotel (approx. 0.2 miles away); Central Station Fragments (approx. 0.2 miles away); Brunswick Corporation Headquarters (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.
Regarding Crane Company Building. “The Crane Company Building is a skyscraper located at 836 S. Michigan Ave. in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. The twelve-story building was designed by Holabird & Roche and built in 1912. The steel frame skyscraper was designed in the Classical Revival style, and its exterior design is split into three sections. The first and second floors are faced in limestone and feature piers supporting a cornice; the third floor is also covered in limestone. The fourth through eleventh floors are constructed in red brick; windows on these floors feature terra cotta keystones and sills, and the eleventh floor is capped by a terra cotta cornice. The twelfth floor is decorated in terra cotta panels which incorporate Crane Company valves in their design; this floor is also topped by a cornice.
The building originally housed offices for the Crane Company, which manufactured plumbing and heating equipment. The Crane Company played a significant role in both the Chicago economy, where it was a major employer of industrial workers, and the national manufacturing landscape, where it was considered ‘the United States' leading manufacturer’ of iron and brass plumbing and heating fixtures. Due to the demolition of the Crane Company's factories and its early leaders' homes, the Crane Company Building is now the most significant landmark in Chicago associated with the company. After the Crane Company left the building in 1960, it was converted to a residential property.
The Crane Company Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 28, 2002.” — Wikipedia
Also see . . . Crane Company Building. NHRP registration form (Submitted on November 8, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 19, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 591 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 19, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.