Erie Street Row

“The development of North Michigan Avenue as a commercial boulevard in the 1920s transformed the Near North Side from a residential to commercial district. During this time the Erie Street Row was converted to offices for small creative businesses like advertising, publishing, architecture and commercial and fine arts.”

“The Erie Street Row physically evolved in 1920 when it converted from residential to office uses for J. Roland Kay Company, an international advertising firm which occupied the first three floors of the building.”

“Another merchant and Irish immigrant residing at the row in the early years was Thomas J. Shay, head of a wholesale show and boot interest. Other noteworthy early residents of the Erie Street Row included Albert Morgan Day (1846-1933) and his family.”

“The Erie Street Row exhibits fine detailing and craftsmanship in Joliet limestone, a historically significant building material in the context of Chicago architecture and the most popular building stone used for Chicago buildings from the 1830s until the 1880s.”

“As a The Erie Street Row retains good integrity from both its original construction in 1877 and alterations in 1920 that have significance in their own right. Granted, two of the westernmost rowhouses in the group were demolished in 1960, the three that remain continue to convey the building's architectural and heritage values.”

“In addition to its architectural significance, the building conveys the historic evolution of the Near North Side in the 19th and 20th centuries. After the Great Fire destroyed the area in 1871, it rapidly rebuilt as a fashionable residential district of single-family homes and rowhouses like the Erie Street Row.”

“These families began to leave the Erie Street Row around 1910, and the row was transformed into lodging. In 1910, number 161 of the row housed The Parkway and The Sinnott, small hotels.”

“From the 1870s to the 1910s, the families of successful merchants and professionals lived in the Erie Street Row, reflecting the social fabric of the Near North Side.”

“The row is faced with Joliet limestone, one of the earliest building stones used in Chicago after the Great Fire when fireproof construction was in need. The building's rusticated horizontal joints, arched windows with incised keystones and classical cornice places it in the Italianate Style of architecture, a nationally-significant design mode in the 19th century.”

“The floor and flat roof plates are constructed of wood joists. The Joliet limestone front façade of the building is the only elevation given architectural treatment as it is the only elevation visible from the public way.”