| Address | 250 North Breakwater Access, Chicago, IL |
|---|---|
| Built | 1936 |
| Architect | Civil Engineers Office, US Coast Guard, Architect |
| Status | Designated Chicago Landmark |
| Designation Date | December 12, 2007 (Final)City Council Journal of the Proceedings, p. 17252 |
| Neighborhood | Loop |
| Type | Government and civic |
| Landmark ID | L-238 |
Direct quotes from the Chicago Landmark Designation Report
“In the context of Chicago architecture, it is almost unique. Only the former Jackson Park Coast Guard Station, built in 1906 and located on the western edge of the boat harbor in Jackson Park on Chicago's South-side lakefront, is comparable, and arguably, the Old Chicago Coast Guard Station is a more visually striking building in terms of its setting, majestically placed near the mouth of the Chicago River.”
“The Old Chicago Coast Guard Station is a familiar visual feature for thousands of travelers on Lake Shore Drive, visitors to neighboring Navy Pier, and boaters and other excursionists traveling through the Chicago River locks, adjacent to the station.”
“Chicago was the leader of Great Lakes trade in general, which had grown by the Civil War to $600,000,000 in value annually. As the 1870s dawned, Chicago's port vied with New York City and San Francisco as the busiest harbor in the country.”
“The Old Chicago Coast Guard Station exhibits a picturesque overall architectural style and craftsmanship that reflects the influences of historic Coast Guard architectural traditions, the Shingle Style of architecture, and the later "Cape Cod" buildings of the Colonial Revival architectural style.”
“Completed at a cost of roughly $99,480 received from the federal Works Progress Administration, and designed internally by civil engineers employed by the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, office of the United States Coast Guard, the new station building resembled the razed building with its simple gable-roofed structure clad with wood shingles and accented by a low tower.”
“This simple wood-frame architecture clad with shingles continued through the early 20th century to influence so-called "Cape Cod" houses, part of the larger Colonial Revival architectural movement. Situated on a breakwater defining the Chicago River Turning Basin, next to the Chicago River locks, the Old Chicago Coast Guard Station is highly visible from multiple vantage points, including Navy Pier to the north and Monroe Harbor to the south; the station is a distinctive visual “landmark” for Chicagoans.”
“The building is roughly symmetrical, with a central, side-gable-roofed central section flanked by front-gable-roofed end pavilions. Small porches shelter doors to both end pavilions on both the west and east elevations.”
“A vehicular garage with doors extending from the building's east elevation serves as a visual counterpoint to the boat bays. Small gable dormers pierce the central section's roofline, while larger shed dormers (added in the recent renovation) are found on the end pavilions.”
“This vernacular architecture inspired United States Coast Guard architecture during the early 1900s, including the Old Chicago Coast Guard Station. It also is connected with the popularization of such architecture through 19thcentury Shingle-Style buildings and later "Cape Cod" houses built as part of the 20thcentury Colonial Revival architectural movement.”