| Address | 1333-35 W. Argle Street, Chicago, IL |
|---|---|
| Built | 1908; additions through 1915 |
| Architect | Various Architects |
| Status | Designated Chicago Landmark |
| Designation Date | March 26, 1996 (Final)City Council Journal of the Proceedings, p. 19229 |
| Neighborhood | Uptown |
| Type | Studio and workshop |
| Landmark ID | L-90 |
Direct quotes from the Chicago Landmark Designation Report
“Essanay Studios was founded in 1907 by George Spoor and Gilbert Anderson, two important movie-making pioneers. (The Essanay name was formed from the combination of Spoor and Anderson's initials: S & A).”
“Gloria Swanson was "discovered" while she was touring the studio with her aunt. In her earliest pictures, she played small rolls with the writer Katherine Anne Porter. Another actress, Beverly Bayne, was a 16-year-old Hyde Park High School student when she made her first Essanay film; within two years, her face was one of the most recognized in the country.”
“Essanay Studios was one of the most important movie-making companies in the world from 1907 to 1917. In its ten years of operation, the company made significant contributions to the development of artistic and technical aspects of movies.”
“ESSANAY 1345 This typical factory complex (below, in a c. 1915 photograph) in the Uptown community was the home of one of the nation's earliest movie companies, Essanay Studios.”
“Only the fanciful terra-cotta entry with its Indian head design suggests the distinction of its original occupant, the Essanay Movie Studio. From 1907 to 1917, Essanay was one of the premier movie companies in the country and the buildings on West Argyle the center of its operation.”
“More than any other aspect of its significance, however, Essanay is most popularly remembered for the movie stars it produced. Essanay's biggest coup was signing Charlie Chaplin in 1914.”
“The fanciful terra-cotta Indian head at the building's entrance was Essanay's logo. Significant Features: The designation specifies "all exterior elevations, including the roofs, and the structural systems of the buildings."”
“The doorway projects from the building and is formed of glazed white terra cotta. It has a pediment overhead with "ESSANAY" in the tympanum, and on the blocks flanking the entrance are two Indian head profiles.”