The Printing House Row District is a

National Historic Landmark District A National Historic Landmark District (NHLD) is a geographical area that has received recognition from the United States Government that the buildings, landscapes, cultural features and archaeological resources within it are of the highest signific ...

encompassing four architecturally important buildings on South Dearborn Street, between

Jackson Boulevard Jackson Boulevard is a street in Chicago, in whose grid system it is 300 South. Named for President Andrew Jackson, it is adjacent to Van Buren Street named for Jackson's associate Martin Van Buren. Jackson Boulevard is also a street that para ...

(300 S.) and Ida B. Wells Drive (500 S., formerly Congress Parkway), in the Loop community area of

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. It 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 ...

as South Dearborn Street – Printing House Row Historic District and listed as a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

as South Dearborn Street – Printing House Row North Historic District on January 7, 1976. The district includes the

Monadnock Building The Monadnock Building (historically the Monadnock Block; pronounced ) is a 16-story skyscraper located at 53 West Jackson Boulevard in the Chicago Loop, south Loop area of Chicago. The north half of the building was designed by the firm of B ...

, the Manhattan Building, the

Fisher Building The Fisher Building is a List of National Historic Landmarks in Michigan, landmark List of tallest buildings in Detroit, skyscraper located at 3011 West Grand Boulevard in the heart of the New Center, Detroit, New Center area of Detroit, Michig ...

, and the Old Colony Building. The district overlaps with the Printers Row

neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...

and with the South Loop Printing House District. It is adjacent to and just north of a similarly designated Printing House Row District that spans the 500 through 800 blocks of South Dearborn, South Federal and South Plymouth streets and that was declared 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 May 9, 1996.

Description

The Printing House Row District includes four buildings that present facades onto South Dearborn Street, between West Jackson Boulevard and West Ida B. Wells Drive. At the northern end stands the

, occupying the entire block of South Dearborn and South Federal between Jackson and Van Buren. Opposite the southern portion of the Monadnock stands the

, fronting on South Dearborn and Van Buren. Across Van Buren on the east side of South Dearborn is the Old Colony Building, with the Manhattan Building to its south. Each of these buildings is significant for its architecture and/or for advances in skyscraper construction methods in the 1880s and 1890s. The Manhattan Building, built in 1889–91 to a design by

William Le Baron Jenney William Le Baron Jenney (September 25, 1832 – June 14, 1907) was an American architect and engineer known for building the first skyscraper in 1884. In 1998, Jenney was ranked number 89 in the book ''1,000 Years, 1,000 People: Ranking th ...

, was the first skyscraper supported entirely by an internal metal skeleton, and was the tallest building in the world at its completion. The Old Colony Building, built in 1893–94 to a design by

Holabird & Roche The architect, architectural firm now known as Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm has changed its name several times and adapted to the architectural style then current — from Chicago school (architectu ...

, demonstrated a means to build skyscrapers on narrow lots, yet provided sufficient strength to its floors to withstand the operational stresses of printing equipment. The Fisher Building, built in 1895–96 to a design by Daniel H. Burnham, is one of the first buildings to use curtain wall construction. Lastly, the Monadnock, built in two stages, one designed by

Burnham & Root Burnham and Root was one of Chicago's most famous architectural companies of the nineteenth century. It was established by Daniel Hudson Burnham and John Wellborn Root. During their eighteen years of partnership, Burnham and Root designed and b ...

and the other by Holabird & Roche, is one of the largest commercial buildings with load-bearing masonry walls ever built.

Notes

External links

Official City of Chicago Loop Community Map
{{National Register of Historic Places Historic districts in Chicago Central Chicago National Historic Landmarks in Chicago Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Chicago Landmarks

Description

See also

Notes

External links