The Chicago Varnish Company Building is a building built in 1895 as the headquarters of one of the leading

varnish Varnish is a clear Transparency (optics), transparent hard protective coating or film. It is not to be confused with wood stain. It usually has a yellowish shade due to the manufacturing process and materials used, but it may also be pigmente ...

manufacturers in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the Chicago Varnish Company. The building is a rare example of

Dutch Renaissance The Renaissance in the Low Countries was a cultural period in the Northern Renaissance that took place in around the 16th century in the Low Countries (corresponding to modern-day Belgium, the Netherlands and French Flanders). Culture in the Low ...

Revival-style

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

in Chicago, and is marked by a steeply pitched roof paired with stepped gables of red

brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...

and light

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

in contrasting colors. The building was designed by

Henry Ives Cobb Henry Ives Cobb (August 19, 1859 – March 27, 1931) was an architect from the United States. Based in Chicago in the last decades of the 19th century, he was known for his designs in the Richardsonian Romanesque and Gothic revival, Victori ...

, a nationally recognized

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

whose other significant works include the former Chicago Historical Society Building, the

Newberry Library The Newberry Library is an independent research library, specializing in the humanities. It is located in Chicago, Illinois, and has been free and open to the public since 1887. The Newberry's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of our wo ...

, and the original buildings for the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

campus. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on June 14, 2001, and was designated a

Chicago Landmark Chicago Landmark is a designation by the Mayor and the City Council of Chicago for historic sites in Chicago, Illinois. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, architectural, artist ...

on July 25, 2001. After an extensive rehabilitation, including replacement of the multi-gabled clay tile roof and rebuilding the stepped parapets, Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse opened in the building on October 23, 1987. The restaurant has received numerous awards for its food and service, and features many items of memorabilia, including a "Holy Cow" wearing the trademark Harry Caray eyeglasses that was sourced from Chicago's

CowParade CowParade is an international public art exhibit that has featured in major world cities. Fiberglass sculptures of cows are decorated by local artists, and distributed over the city centre, in public places such as train stations, important aven ...

. The building is distinctive for its use of the Dutch Renaissance revival style, with its stepped gables, steeply-pitched tile roof, and contrasting brick and stone masonry. The building and its restoration received the Chicago Landmarks Preservation Excellence award in 2006 for its careful restoration of the

Ludowici Ludowici may refer to: * Ludowici, Georgia, a town * Ludowici Well Pavilion, a historic site * Ludowici Roof Tile Ludowici Roof Tile, LLC., based in New Lexington, Ohio, is an American manufacturer of clay roof tiles, floor tiles, and wall clad ...

roof.

References

External links

Chicago Varnish Company Building
{{Chicago Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago Chicago Landmarks Office buildings completed in 1895 Stepped gables Renaissance Revival architecture in Illinois Varnishes Dutch Renaissance Revival architecture in the United States

See also

References

External links