| Address | Various |
|---|---|
| Built | 1922-30 |
| Architect | Various |
| Status | Designated Chicago Landmark District |
| Designation Date | February 9, 2005 (Final)City Council Journal of the Proceedings, p. 42081 |
| Neighborhood | Logan Square |
| Type | Commercial district |
Direct quotes from the Chicago Landmark Designation Report
“The buildings within the Milwaukee-Diversey-Kimball District display exceptionally fine craftsmanship and detailing, especially in glazed terra cotta, as displayed in the fine ornament found in spandrels, cornices, friezes, broken pediments, and parapets.”
“Also designed in the Art Deco style is 2800-08 N. Milwaukee. The district's tallest and most prominent building, it features zigzag patterns and abstract designs in its spandrels and has a very vertical emphasis.”
“The Milwaukee-Diversey-Kimball District typifies this type of commercial district and remains one of the best-remaining examples. THE HISTORY OF THE LOGAN SQUARE AND AVONDALE COMMUNITY AREAS The Milwaukee-Diversey-Kimball District straddles two community areas, Logan Square to the south and Avondale to the north, and served as the principal shopping district for both areas.”
“Ornamentation here is executed in a great variety of zigzag, floral, and geometric patterns with a high attention to craftsmanship, detail and proportion. Buildings within the Milwaukee-Diversey-Kimball District include several of the major architectural styles used for early twentieth-century commercial buildings found in Chicago neighborhoods, including the Classical Revival and Art Deco styles.”
“The district's former F.W. Woolworth's store (now Footlocker, 3401-11 W. Diversey) is a fine example of the Art Deco style. This sleek, terra cotta building has a simplified, geometric appearance typical of the style.”
“The first floors of buildings in the district typically were built with storefronts with large display windows framed by metal or terra-cotta supports. Some of these openings have been modified from their original configurations, but most retain their sense of transparency as well other details.”
“The district includes a handsome collection of Classical Revival and Art Deco-style buildings with especially fine details executed in terra-cotta, brick and limestone. THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHICAGO'S EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS During the late nineteenth century, Chicago developed as a series of tightly organized and built neighborhoods.”
“Increased competition from national discount retailers and poor managerial decisions undermined Goldblatt's financial position during the 1970s, and in 1981 the chain was forced to declare bankruptcy. Located in a fine Art Deco-style building at the southwest corner of Diversey and Kimball Avenues (now Footlocker Store, 2754-58 N. Kimball/3401-11 W. Diversey, built 1922) was the national chain store F.W. Woolworth.”
“The buildings included in the district are among one of the best surviving “six-corners” intersections surviving in Chicago due to their overall quality and high level of design, craftsmanship, and integrity, including the use of brick, stone, and terra cotta.”
“The Milwaukee-Diversey-Kimball intersection served as a “transfer" corner where shoppers could find a wide variety of retail offerings, many operated as chain stores, at the same time they changed streetcars.”