Illinois, Chicago Landmarks Commission Historical Markers
Scores of markers sponsored by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, whose members are appointed by the Mayor and City Council. Established in 1968 by City Ordinance, the Commission is responsible for recommending individual buildings, sites, objects, or entire districts be designated as Chicago Landmarks, thereby providing legal protection.
Built four years after the suburb of Austin was annexed to Chicago, this house is among the best of Wright's experiments with inexpensive residences. Within a narrow lot, the house has
all the features of his mature Prairie style, characterized by . . . — — Map (db m235806) HM
This building is a significant early 20th-century industrial building built for one of Chicago's best-known manufacturers. Founded and headquartered in the city for many years, the Florsheim Shoe Company was one of the nation's leading shoe . . . — — Map (db m94316) HM
At one time sprawling over 475 acres, the Union Stock Yard thrived for more than a century, then closed entirely. This rugged gate, erected in 1875, survives as one of the few visual reminders of Chicago's past supremacy in the livestock and . . . — — Map (db m244150) HM
Chicago Bee Building
Z. Erol Smith, architect
1929-31
This Art Deco-style building was constructed as
the headquarters for the Chicago Bee newspaper,
which was founded by noted African American
entrepreneur Anthony Overton. It also . . . — — Map (db m188754) HM
Chicago Defender Building
Built 1899; remodeled 1915
This former Jewish synagogue was home to the
Chicago Defender from 1920 until 1960. Founded
by Robert S. Abbott in 1905, the newspaper
became nationally known for its . . . — — Map (db m188261) HM
Overton Hygienic Building
Built 1922-23
Built as the headquarters for the Overton
Hygienic Co., one of the nation's foremost
producers of African-American cosmetics, this
structure also housed the Victory Life Insurance
Company and . . . — — Map (db m180693) HM
Pilgrim Baptist Church
Adler and Sullivan, Architects
1891
The decorative and planning skills of Sullivan and the engineering ability of Adler are embodied in the strong masonry forms of this building, embellished with terra-cotta . . . — — Map (db m189477) HM
Sunset Cafe
Built 1909
Following a 1921 remodeling, this simple
automobile garage was transformed into one
of the city's earliest and most legendary jazz
venues. Its house orchestra featured such
famed musicians as Louis . . . — — Map (db m189053) HM
Supreme Life Building
Built 1921; remodeled 1950
This was the longtime headquarters of the Supreme Life Insurance Co., the first African-American owned and operated insurance company in the northern United States. The firm was founded in . . . — — Map (db m188528) HM
Unity Hall
L. B. Dixon, architect
1887
Originally built as the Lakeside Club, a Jewish
social organization, this structure was renamed
in 1917 when it became the headquarters of the
Peoples Movement Club, a political . . . — — Map (db m189249) HM
Bryan Lathrop House
McKim, Mead and White, architects
1892
Drawing inspiration from the neo-classical styles of
the eighteenth century, Charles Follen McKim here
created a residence of great dignity and elegance.
The clarity and . . . — — Map (db m180726) HM
This rare Art Moderne-style design is also one of the city's best examples of pre-World War II modernism. Further distinguishing the building is its handcrafted ornamentation by prominent artist Edgar Miller. The 12 residential units front on a . . . — — Map (db m235355) HM
Built to provide a safe, supportive, and economical residence for young women studying the arts, this was one of a number of structures designed for artists around the turn of the century, indicative of a growing appreciation for the arts in urban . . . — — Map (db m242449) HM
Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church
(Originally, Isaiah Temple)
Dankmar Adler, architect
1898-99
Built as one of Chicago's early Reform Judaism synagogues, this
Classical Revivial-style building is the last building designed by
famed . . . — — Map (db m188631) HM
Melissia Ann Elam Home
Henry L. Newhouse, Architect
1903
This Chateauesque mansion was purchased in the 1920s by Melissia Ann Elam, who [illegible] in Chicago. — — Map (db m181855) HM
Richard Wright House
architect unknown
1893
While residing, in the second-floor apartment of this building
from 1929 to 1932, celebrated author Richard. Wright effectively
began his professional literary career writing his first . . . — — Map (db m188618) HM
United States Senator Stephen Douglas, who died in 1861 at the age of forty-eight, was a firm believer in the future of Chicago. He held states offices and became nationally known for his debating skill in the Senate and in his campaign against . . . — — Map (db m120728) HM
This group of 20 visually distinctive row houses
was built in 1903 by one of Chicago's most prolific
early developers, Samuel E. Gross. The fine detailing
and craftsmanship used for building entrances and
cornices reflect the influence of the . . . — — Map (db m188627) HM
Originally built as the Palace of Fine Arts for the World's Columbian Exposition, this plaster-clad structure later became the first home of the Field Museum of Natural History. After the museum left in the 1920s, the decayed building was . . . — — Map (db m238465) HM
Once referred to as the "Lake Forest of the South,"
this residential suburb was annexed to Chicago in 1889.
It was home to many of the city's leading industrialists,
who built residences designed by such notable architects
as George Maher, . . . — — Map (db m188828) HM
Kenwood United Church of Christ
William. W. Boyington and Henry B. Wheelock,
architects
1887-88
This Richardsonian Romanesque-style church building is
a textbook example of this medieval-influenced style, popular in
the late nineteenth . . . — — Map (db m188566) HM
This terra-cotta-clad flat-iron building makes the most of its triangular building lot. Like many neighborhood banks from the 1920s, the Marshfield Trust and Savings Bank employed the Classical Revival style of architecture to convey a sense of . . . — — Map (db m208809) HM
Brewster Apartments
Enoch H. Turnock, architect
1893
The principles of skeleton-frame construction
that made possible tall commercial buildings
were used here for an early highrise apartment
building, originally known as the . . . — — Map (db m187901) HM
One of the oldest and most important public sculptures in Chicago, this monument to Americas sixteenth president influenced a generation of sculptors due to its innovative combination of a natural-looking Lincoln-–depicted deep in thought as . . . — — Map (db m47815) HM
One of the most important historic landscapes in Chicago, this “hidden garden” in Lincoln Park was designed by note landscape architect Alfred Caldwell in the Prairie style. Inspired by his mentor Jens Jensen and the work of architect . . . — — Map (db m47845) HM
Located in one of the country's oldest municipal zoological parks, the Lion House blends both the grandly-scaled public architecture of the Classical style with the innovative Prarie style developed by Chicago architects in the early 20th century. . . . — — Map (db m10653) HM
This area, with its concentration of brick row houses,
is typical of urban residential communities developed
during the last three decades of the nineteenth
century. The high quality of its architecture, well-
preserved and well-maintained, . . . — — Map (db m185766) HM
North Chicago Hospital Building
Meyer J. Sturm, architect;
M. Louis Kroman, associated architect
1928-29
This building is a handsome example of a neighborhood hospital
building, built when Chicago was dotted with small . . . — — Map (db m180732) HM
Designed by the architect of the Old Chicago Water Tower and predating it by five years, the Rosehill Cemetery Entrance is a rare Midwestern example of castellated Gothic architecture. Many prominent Chicagoans are buried here in plots marked by . . . — — Map (db m94331) HM
Here, in 1899, Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr started what became the most influential social settlement in America. It eventually consisted of several buildings around this house which had been built in 1856 by Charles Hull. The Dining Hall and . . . — — Map (db m61819) HM
This building is an exceptional example of the International Style and was Chicago's first major public building to be designed in a modern, rather than historically-derived, style. Innovative for its time are the building's eight-seven foot spans . . . — — Map (db m242108) HM
Built by the Studebaker company for the assembly and display of their carriages and wagons, this building was converted into studios and theaters for artists and craftsmen in 1898. The interior public spaces, featuring murals on the tenth floor, . . . — — Map (db m237986) HM
This lavishly-detailed early skyscraper houses one of Chicago's oldest legitimate theatres, having featured vaudeville, drama and musicals in its long history. Designed in the French Renaissance style with tripartite Chicago-style windows, it has a . . . — — Map (db m241085) HM
Expansive windows and Gothic-ornamented terra cotta give this building a light and airy appearance befitting its international reputation as a forerunner of 20th-century glass-and-steel skyscrapers. The building was constructed in two stages: the . . . — — Map (db m240283) HM
A rare survivor of the type of buildings constructed during the early period of this street's development as a prestigious retail address. Its Art Deco-style design incorporates both classical and modern details, and its innovative sculptures by . . . — — Map (db m236929) HM
Built as speculative housing by John Gauler, this pair of wood-and-stucco residences is a rare example of a "twin" Prairie School design. Their architect is internationally recognized for his distinctive designs and for his early contributions to . . . — — Map (db m68556) HM
This building was constructed as the headquarters and showroom for the Bush and Gerts Piano Company, one of Chicago's leading piano manufacturing companies in the early twentieth century. It stands as a rare example of a commercial building designed . . . — — Map (db m242424) HM
Originally called the Germania Theater, this site is where the "first-generation" movie theater was built exclusively for motion picture use. The facade, which remains today, with its Classical and Renaissance Revival-style terra-cotta ornament . . . — — Map (db m242433) HM
This handsome building originally served as the Midwest office, warehouse and distribution center of the American Book Company, a nationally-prominent textbook publisher. Typical of industrial architecture of its time, this reinforced-concrete . . . — — Map (db m69594) HM
Chess Records Office and Studio
Horatio R. Wilson, architect
2120 S. Michigan Avenue is internationally known as the site of some of the most influential Blues and Rock 'n' Roll recordings, including "Johnny B. Goode," "Rescue Me," and . . . — — Map (db m188622) HM
A mature Richardsonian design, Glessner House is famous for its site development, innovative floor plan and rugged Romanesque facade. Glessner House, a reminder of the fabulous Prairie Avenue era, is the only remaining Chicago building by this . . . — — Map (db m69586) HM
Quinn Chapel
1892
This church houses the oldest black congregation
in Chicago, tracing its origins back to 1844. Members
of the congregation have played a significant role tn
the development of the city since that time. The
church is a . . . — — Map (db m189237) HM
A rare survivor of the stately mansions built on the Near South Side prior to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, this also ranks as one of the city's best examples of Second Empire architecture. Built by banker Calvin Wheeler, it was remodeled in the . . . — — Map (db m69591) HM
White Castle #16
Lewis E. Russell (with Lloyd W. Ray, construction superintendent for White Castle System of Eating Houses, Inc.), architect
1930
This tiny white glazed-brick building remains the best-surviving example in Chicago of . . . — — Map (db m187703) HM
This house documents the evolution of Norwood Park, from a farm community to a residential neighborhood. The small south wing had its origins as the home of Mark Noble, one of the first settlers in the area. An Italianate-style addition and other . . . — — Map (db m239935) HM
Designed as a "model home," this Queen Anne-style house was built for Irving Park land developer Charles N. Loucks. It is a fine example of "pattern book architecture," building designs sold through the mail--a popular method used to keep pace with . . . — — Map (db m66329) HM
This house is nationally significant as the earliest known site associated with the gay and lesbian civil rights movement in the United States. It was the home of pioneering activist Henry Gerber from 1924 to 1925, during which time he organized the . . . — — Map (db m47813) HM
Settled in the 1850s by German immigrants, this area was virtually destroyed by the Fire of 1871. Most of these wood cottages and brick and stone townhouses date to the last decades of the 19th century. After World War II, this area became the focus . . . — — Map (db m47626) HM
Built during a period of rapid expansion of the Chicago Fire Department, this red-brick firehouse exemplifies the rapidly-growing city's commitment to the health and safety of its citizens. The firehouse is distinguished by handsome brick detailing . . . — — Map (db m242942) HM
Built as the headquarters of one of the leading varnish manufacturers in the United States, this building is a rare Chicago example of Dutch Renaissance Revival-style architecture, marked by distinctive stepped gables. It was designed by Henry . . . — — Map (db m234669) HM
Courthouse Place
Otto H. Matz, architect
1892-93
This Romanesque-style building, which housed the
Cook County Criminal Courts for 35 years, was the
site of many legendary trials, including the Leopold
and Loeb murder case and Black . . . — — Map (db m188841) HM
Former Chicago Historical Society Building
Henry Ives Cobb, architect
1892
The Chicago Historical Society occupied this
structure until 1931, and it was that organization's
need for a fireproof building that accounts for
the . . . — — Map (db m180703) HM
This metal-and-glass skyscraper was built to house the Chicago offices of the IBM Corporation, one of the nation's premier companies. It was the last American building designed by Mies van der Rohe, one of the most internationally-significant . . . — — Map (db m240272) HM
This building survives from the heyday of Chicago's cable car system, the largest in the United States during the late nineteenth century. Originally housing a pair of Corliss engines, the Powerhouse served as a critical mass transit link between . . . — — Map (db m240250) HM
This "city within a city" was the first real estate development in Chicago to mix residential, commercial, and entertainment uses in a dense high-rise complex in the city's central area. It was
designed by innovative architect Bertrand Goldberg as . . . — — Map (db m240278) HM
McCormick Double House
Frederick and Edward Baumann, architects
1875
This early, post-Chicago Fire, Joliet limestone-clad building was
originally built as a "double house for Industrialist Leander
James McCormick and his son Robert . . . — — Map (db m180925) HM
Tree Studios
Parfitt Brothers, with Bauer & Hill
architects
Philanthropists Lambert and Anna Field Tree
constructed this artists studio building in the
backyard of their since-demolished mansion.
The income from the retail storefronts . . . — — Map (db m180902) HM
(Former) Cosmopolitan State Bank
Schmidt, Garden & Martin, architects
1920
This Georgian Revival-style bank combines simplified classical
details with finely-crafted brick masonry and carved limestone.
The bank served the large . . . — — Map (db m180903) HM
This rare surviving example of Victorian Gothic design is also one of the city's best late-19th century apartment buildings. Because early luxury apartments were viewed with skepticism, this building was designed to look like a series of four . . . — — Map (db m66612) HM
227 East Walton Place Apartment Building
Harry Weese, architect
1956
This post-World War II building exemplifies progressive architectural ideals as practiced by one of Chicago's most eclectic and innovative
architects of the late 20th . . . — — Map (db m180744) HM
Allerton Hotel
Murgatroyd & Ogden, architects
1922-24
A rare example of Northern Italian Renaissance
Revival architecture applied to a high-rise
structure and the city's first building to use
a pronounced setback and towers, as . . . — — Map (db m180890) HM
Finely detailed with tapestry brick and carved stone ornament, this Arts & Crafts-influenced facade is an excellent example of the type of designs for which this architectural firm was noted. "Towertown," as the area surrounding the Chicago Water . . . — — Map (db m66729) HM
Tribune Tower
John Mead Howells and
Raymond Hood, architects
1925
This design was the result of an international competition for the most beautiful office building in the world,” held in 1922 by the Chicago Tribune. The . . . — — Map (db m106357) HM
This terra-cotta-clad office building is a handsome example of the Gothic Revival architectural style. Built on the site of an earlier wholesale warehouse for the Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. Department Store, the building exemplifies the . . . — — Map (db m236485) HM
This 40-story building was the tallest outside New York City at the time of its construction. The building's terra cotta-clad, classical design marks it as one of the most prominent high-rise statements of the City Beautiful movement. It is also the . . . — — Map (db m234661) HM
The extraordinary engineering talent of Dankmar Adler and the architectural genius of Louis Sullivan created this building to reflect the cultural maturity of Chicago. Combining hotel and office space with a splendid theater, the Auditorium was a . . . — — Map (db m34975) HM
An outstanding example of Modern French style of Beaux-Arts Classical architecture. As one of the city's earliest luxury hotels, it became the "Hotel of Presidents," serving as host to a dozen U.S. Presidents, including Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. . . . — — Map (db m94409) HM
According to popular legend, the architects chose this buildings dark green and gold colors based on a gold-foiled champagne bottle seen at an office holiday party. Whether true of not, the building is one of the most-distinctive features on . . . — — Map (db m51698) HM
The Carson Pirie Scott store ranks as one of the most important structures in early modern architecture. An example of 19th-century modular construction, it also clearly expresses the period's philosophy about an ornamental architecture.
. . . — — Map (db m244990) HM
A distinctively American building type, the motion
picture palace provided a fantasy environment in which fantasies of stage and screen could be enjoyed. This Beaux-Arts style building, with its elaborate decoration and grand proportions, was one . . . — — Map (db m236517) HM
This massive block-long office building was built to house one of Chicagos leading banks and exemplifies the large commercial buildings that define the distinctive LaSalle Street “canyon.” Architect Daniel Burnham personally . . . — — Map (db m47757) HM
Harris and Selwyn Theaters
Crane and Franzheim, architects
1922
New York theatrical producers Sam Harris and
Archie and Edgar Selwyn constructed these
buildings for live stage shows. The "Twin Theaters"
have terra-cotta facades . . . — — Map (db m180950) HM
This is one of the defining commercial high-rises of the post-World War II era. The use of stainless steel cladding is an eloquent testimony to the corporation that commissioned the building as its headquarters. The placement of all structural . . . — — Map (db m241094) HM
Lake-Franklin Group
Burling & Adler, George Edbrooke, architects
1872 - 1875
This rare grouping of post-Fire buildings is the
best reminder of the wholesale district, an area
integral to the city's former role as the world's
largest . . . — — Map (db m181282) HM
Acclaimed as one of the most important, early examples of skeletal-frame commercial architecture, this National Historic Landmark was designed by the so-called "father of the skyscaper." It was built by Levi Leiter, a former partner of Marshall . . . — — Map (db m235659) HM
The citys earliest surviving steal-frame building, a type of construction that changed commercial architecture. As one of the first structures clad in terra cotta, it marked an important step in the development of the architectural terra cotta . . . — — Map (db m47781) HM
This building is one of the most dramatic examples of the influence that the 1923 Chicago Zoning Ordinance had on the design of the city's high-rises in the 1920s. Rising 519 feet, it combines an exceptionally tall and thin, "spire-like" tower with . . . — — Map (db m234759) HM
Rounded corner bays, a feature of many early skyscrapers, enliven the silhouette of the Old Colony Building. Continuous vertical piers divide the long Dearborn Street faηade into tall, narrow sections, while continuous horizontal spandrels visually . . . — — Map (db m241090) HM
Herbert Bell of the Bell & Zoller Coal Company commissioned this 23-story skyscraper in 1924. When completed, it was one of the first generation skyscrapers that sprang up on North Michigan Avenue as a result of Burnham and Bennett's 1909 Plan of . . . — — Map (db m236848) HM
Constructed as headquarters for the Oliver Typewriter Company, this Chicago School-style building clearly expresses its internal steel frame through a grid-like exterior. Classical cast-iron ornament subtly advertises the company's name and product. . . . — — Map (db m242893) HM
With the last remaining cast-iron front in Chicago, this building illustrates a major step in the evolution of modern metal-frame construction technology. Built when Lake Street was the city's main commercial street, its west facade was remodeled . . . — — Map (db m236564) HM
This massive hotel, once the world's largest, bears the name of Potter Palmer, one of Chicago's most important businessmen. It is designed in the Classical Revival style with French Neoclassical influences. Interior spaces of note include the . . . — — Map (db m92465) HM
One of Chicago's finest 1920s-era skyscrapers, this building exemplifies the importance of the City's pioneering 1923 zoning ordinance, which encouraged Chicago's distinctive tower-embellished skyline. Designed by one of the City's leading . . . — — Map (db m242105) HM
Its powerful exterior softened by John Roots lively ornament, the Rookery typifies the 1880s' lingering picturesque attitude toward commercial architecture. A transitional structure in the evolution of modern architecture, it employs both . . . — — Map (db m47758) HM
Chicago Landmark
Fort Dearborn served as the major western garrison of the United States until destroyed during an Indian uprising in August of 1812. A second fort, erected on the same site in 1816, was demolished in 1858.
Designated a Chicago . . . — — Map (db m47681) HM
On this site stood the Sauganash Hotel, built in 1831 by pioneer Mark Beaubien, which was location of the frontier towns first village board election in 1833. The Wigwam, an assembly hall built in 1860 (destroyed c. 1867) on the site of the hotel, . . . — — Map (db m47725) HM
The Steger Building was the headquarters for the Steger & Sons Manufacturing Company, who at the turn of the 20th century, were one of the country's most successful piano manufacturers. Located in Chicago's "Music Row," this building was one of a . . . — — Map (db m237447) HM
This distinctive structure combines the structurally expressive character of the Chicago School with the decorative appearance of traditional masonry architecture. It was designed by Frederick P. Dinkelberg, an associate of one of the nations . . . — — Map (db m223813) HM
Trustees System Service Building
Thielbard and Fugard, architects;
Eugene and Gwen Lux and Edgar Miller, artists
1929-30
This bold Art-Deco style skyscraper, designed by noted Chicago
architects Thielbard and Fugard, is clad with . . . — — Map (db m181570) HM
Designed to resemble the Russian provincial churches known to its first parishioners, this church and its rectory are symbolic of the Russian Orthodox community in Chicago. The ideologies of client and architect harmonized well in this project, . . . — — Map (db m234568) HM
This is the most important structure connected to the citys role in the history of motion pictures. Essanay produced hundreds of early movies, featuring such stars as Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, and cinemas first cowboy hero, G.M. Bronco . . . — — Map (db m187530) HM
The Getty Tomb marks the maturity of [Louis] Sullivan's architectural style and the beginning of modern architecture in America. Here the architect departed from historic precedent to create a building of strong geometric massing, detailed with . . . — — Map (db m94392) HM
The 1500 block of West Jackson Boulevard is almost all that remains of Chicago's once fashionable Near West Side. The houses were built between 1871 and 1900 in the popular architectural styles of the periodthe Italianate, Queen Anne, Second . . . — — Map (db m242542) HM
Chicago Landmark
The Powerhouse is the best-surviving building associated with the Chicago and North Western Railway, one of the citys most prominent historic railroads. While a utilitarian building, this grandly-scaled example of the . . . — — Map (db m47726) HM
