Printing House Row District

“The Printing House Row District developed during the last decades of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century. It was during these years that flourishing printing and publishing businesses along South Dearborn Street commissioned a number of prominent Chicago architects to design their facilities, resulting today in a unique collection of architecturally significant commercial structures concentrated in an area that recalls an important era in the city's economic history.”

“Even more striking is the polychrome tile panel directly above the entrance which depicts men at work on the first printing presses. Polychrome tile is used elsewhere on the facade in abstract patterns.”

“Merchandising was one sector of the American economy that was radically transformed during the last decades of the nineteenth century. During these years, the concept of mail-order merchandising was pioneered into an enormously profitable business, and the printing and publishing industries were largely responsible for its success.”

“Buoyed by imaginative private investment and creative real estate enterprises, Printing House Row is currently acclaimed as one of Chicago's premier models of adaptive re-use, and has the potential to become a national prototype for successful urban revitalization.”

“The Printing House Row District, as a distinc tive area of commercial architecture, represents a cultural, economic, and social theme. The products of the industries housed within these buildings con tributed knowledge, information, and entertain ment to every strata of society as well as providing a sound economic foundation for Chicago during the important years of its growth as a city.”

“Three notable examples of the printing house loft structure are the Donohue Building, the Lakeside Press Building, and the New Franklin Building. The Donohue Building and Annex at 711 and 727 South Dearborn Street consists of an original structure designed in 1883 by Julius Speyer and an addition designed in 1913 by Alfred S. Alschuler.”

“Across the street the Old Franklin Building (525 South Dearborn Street) was constructed in 1886 and, farther south, the Rowe Building (714 South Dearborn Street) in 1892. All display the functional hallmarks of the typical loft-style printing house: simple masonry with a minimum of ornament and large windows for maximum natural lighting.”

“Historical Development of the Printing House Row District As Chicago rapidly rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1871, differentiated land use developed in the Loop area. State Street became the retail center of downtown Chicago with the inception of the department store operations of Marshall Field and Company, Levi Z. Leiter, and Carson Pirie Scott and Company.”

“Within the context of commercial architecture, two types of buildings are represented in the Printing House Row District: the printing house loft structure and the multi-function office building.”