Reebie Storage Warehouse

“Building billboards called Reebie the "largest van company in the world." expanded and Bill was joined by his brother John. The 1885 street directory was the first listing for the W. C. Reebie & Brother express company, then located at 2533 N. Sheffield Avenue.”

“Certainly the Egyptian Revival-style Reebie building drew attention--and it still does today. The Reebie Storage Warehouse is also one of the best examples of the flamboyant terra-cotta designs that graced Chicago architecture during the 1920s.”

“The Reebie Storage Warehouse is a distinctive building on North Clark Street, one of Chicago's most heavily traveled streets. With its extraordinary colored, terra-cotta, Egyptian-style ornament, it has been a visual landmark since its completion in 1922.”

“The historic integrity of the Reebie Storage Warehouse is intact to an exceptional degree--in location, exterior design, setting, materials, and workmanship. With the exception of a missing cornice, which was removed following storm damage in 1971 (see photo, p. 22), the building retains its original appearance.”

“So we come to one of the most startling facts about the Reebie Building. All of its ornament is based directly on ancient models. It is, in other words, a serious attempt to bring ancient Egyptian iconography into 1922 Chicago.”

“The intact lobby of the Reebie Storage Warehouse is one of the nation's finest example of an Egyptian Revival-style interior. The only change has been in the color of the wall surfaces; an original photo (right) shows a darker color with light mortar joints.”

“By 1921, the Reebie company was ready to expand to a new location. The Reebie and the Roaring Twenties During the 1920s, dramatic changes in lifestyle, as well as the real estate development in Chicago, were taking place that would influence the building of the Reebie Warehouse on North Clark Street.”

“The Dawson building is still standing although, as the architectural historian Alan Gowans says, "It is nowhere near as magnificent as the Reebie." The combined impact of visiting Egypt and seeing the warehouse in Stockton persuaded John Reebie that an Egyptian theme would provide the memorable image appropriate to his new headquarters building.”

“They're too good for that." He translated the inscription on one of them which says "Sailing Upper Egyptian grain." Arthur Reebie, in a 1924 interview, emphasized the importance of the barge and boat reliefs to the image of the company, saying, "The Egyptians were the first moving and storage men.”

“But Kingsley embraced historic styles. In his other warehouses, terra-cotta ornament was often incorporated and historic themes were suggested. Classical Greek detailing adorns one, Italian Renaissance another. Nor was Kingsley insensitive to the influential architects of the day as is evident in the Prairie-style and Sullivanesque touches he sometimes employed.”