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.
(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 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 m47457) 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
