The Subposts within this Post:
1) Manufacturers of Old Lake View
1) Manufacturers of Old Lake View
2) Organic Manufacturers
that includes:
Green Houses & Clay Pits & Ice Ponds
Green Houses & Clay Pits & Ice Ponds
This post is about the manufacturing companies that once
blanketed the Township/City and District of Lake View. Most manufacturers from the 19th and early 20th century was
once located near rivers & railroads for easy
and efficient access to their marketable area. The Chicago area had
abundant of both. I will highlight the most notable manufacturers while addressing
the fact that Lake View was a blue-collar area much like the rest of Chicago
at the turn of the 20th century. Manufacturing was the 'bread & butter' for
labor and prosperity in Lake View as well as the nation. Many manufacturers had problems surviving the Great Depression of 1929 many of which were located in the Lake View
area.
(Please click to enlarge images if needed)
1947 image - Forgotten Chicago website
a proportional map that highlights manufacturing in the U.S.
Entire sections of old Lake View were devoted to manufacturing.
The Great Depression of 1929 nearly ended most of the manufacturing base that was Lake View.
Manufactering District in 1887
when Lake View was a township & city
Diversey to Fullerton
Ashland to the river
a view in 1923
along the Tracks
mostly located along this railroad and/or North Chicago River
(click to enlarge)
Established in 1880
The General Office was located at 1801 W Diversey Parkway
1891 invoice - my collection
The Company's Initial Location in 1887
photo 1916 catalog
This was the largest company in physical size in the old
Lake View area by 1923, the largest area along Paulina
image 1916 catalog - see title for link
with a sample of their product below
photo - 1925 catalog
on sale by Ebay for $2,500 in 2019
Plant #1
photo - 1925 catalog
Plant #2
photo - 1925 catalog
Plant #3
Google Map & Earth Perspectives 2018
an aerial view below - 2018 Google Earth
Northwest Terra Cotta Company
mostly located along this railroad and/or North Chicago River
(click to enlarge)
image - Lance Grey
the track route from School Street to Addison
Within the red box, the right of way of the former
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul RR - Evanston branch can be found. The south end of this line
linked up with the Kingsbury Street line, part of Chicago Terminal Railroad. Countless of local manufacturers built their factories along this RR now replaced by houses, apartments, condos and businesses. This branch was meant for freight only.
Illinois Malleable Irons Works
a bill of sale for a candy shipment
The Manufacturers by Name:
Established in 1880
The General Office was located at 1801 W Diversey Parkway
The Company's Initial Location in 1887
photo 1916 catalog
This was the largest company in physical size in the old
Lake View area by 1923, the largest area along Paulina
with a sample of their product below
on sale by Ebay for $2,500 in 2019
Plant #2
photo - 1925 catalog
Plant #3
Northwest Terra Cotta Company
2525 N Clybourn Avenue
Urban Remains product for sale
image - Columbia Digital Library
According to a company called Urban Remains the name "northwestern" had its inception in
1877, when the firm True, Brunkhorst & Co. was organized. the five founding
members were John Brunkhorst, Gustav Hottinger, Henry Rohkam, John Tank and John R. True. The True, Brunkhorst & Company continued to do business as the North-Western Terra-Cotta Works until 1887, when it was officially
incorporated as the Northwestern Terra Cotta Co.
and postcard - Urban Remains
A Narrative from their 1924 catalog
A Terra Cotta Home on Oakdale
The Northwestern Terra Cotta Catalogue
Billing Receipts
from Urban Remains
'Northwestern Terra Cotta Company was one of the Chicago's largest
manufacturer of architectural terra cotta. With headquarters at 1750 Wrightwood
Avenue when Lake View was a township & city and then part of Chicago. The company operated from 1877 until its last factory, located
in Denver, closed its doors in 1965. The firm was a leader in development of
the architectural terra cotta industry & provided building elements for
numerous Chicago buildings,
such as Wrigley Building, Chicago Theatre,
and Civic Opera House.'
The Company's Location in 1887 ...
1892 advertisement
Art Institute of Chicago via Explore Chicago
a 1894 Sanborn Fire Map view
a 1894 Sanborn Fire Map view
The Fire of 1911
from the Art Institute of Chicago
In 1911 the original building was destroyed by fire and by the next year a new building took its place in the same spot depicting the popularity and financial strength of the company
page 2
Rebuilt that Same Year
In 1911 the original building was destroyed by fire and by the next year a new building took its place in the same spot depicting the popularity and financial strength of the company
'At the beginning of the 20th century, architectural terra cotta was firmly established as America's premier material for detailing commercial structures, especially the new, steel-framed skyscrapers then rising in Chicago and New York City. After the devastating Chicago fire of 1871, the fireproof qualities of this ancient, baked-clay form propelled its acceptance as a less expensive and lightweight alternative stone. Terra cotta's popularity peaked in the 1920's, before being eclipsed by modernist curtain walls of glass, exposed steel, and concrete.'
Workers feeding the kiln
mixing area
men with chisels
One of the nation's pioneering manufacturers was the Northwestern Terra Cotta Company (1877–1956), in Chicago. The company would have a plant in Denver. To direct both production and installation, the studio’s draftsmen transformed architectural blueprints into comprehensive "shop drawings" that identified exactly where and how each puzzle-like piece would be secured to its supporting structure. Favored by such international architectural luminaries as Louis H. Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, and Albert Kahn, the company ultimately contributed to thousands of buildings across the country in a wide array of styles.
men working with molds
polychrome (painting or decorate) room
In the 1890's the Northwestern Terra Cotta Company successfully recruited European craftsmen to join the firm as sculptors in its modeling shop. These highly skilled artists could earn three or four times as much as a less skilled laborer at the same factory.
Sculptors working on architectural molds models
drafting room
By 1920 the firm's Clybourn Avenue plant covered 24 acres and was the largest in the world. In addition to operating a second facility in Chicago Heights, the company subsequently acquired plants in St. Louis and Denver.
Northwestern Terra Cotta targeted its client base by advertising in trade journals such as American Architect. The company wasted no time promoting its involvement in the construction of the distinctive Wrigley Building—the first skyscraper completely clad "from sidewalk to searchlight" in terra cotta. Not only was the gleaming white-enamel office tower Chicago's tallest structure at that time, it was the first of a series that inaugurated new development north of the Chicago River.' - National Building Museum
for the Carson Pirie Scott & Company 1899
Art Institute of Chicago via Explore Chicago Collection
A 1906 Sales Book
images - Ebay
The Company President
a 1923 Sanborn Fire Map sectional
a street bridge connected the buildings
Art Institute of Chicago via Explore Chicago Collection
The Company President
image (unknown date) - Amazon
The president lived at 1054 W Oakdale Avenue on what is regarded today as Terra Cotta Row in Lake View
... his death in 1929
The president lived at 1054 W Oakdale Avenue on what is regarded today as Terra Cotta Row in Lake View
... his death in 1929
The Presidents' Home
1054 W Oakdale Avenue
built in 1886 when Lake View was a township
his son home as well - Adolf
at 1057 W Oakdale Avenue
and built in 1901
The Company's Salesman Samples
photos from Ebay and my collection
a salesman sample for potential client
1054 W Oakdale Avenue
built in 1886 when Lake View was a township
at 1057 W Oakdale Avenue
and built in 1901
photos from Ebay and my collection
now part of my collection
part of my private collection
part of my Lake View collection
church to the left & school to the right
the school clcosed in 1983 & demo'ed in 2003
My piece of the school ...
the terra cotta face
images - Ebay
This Christmas tree stand
was given to customers of the company
The North-Side HQ still Remains on Terra Cotta Place
This is a 6" wide and 4 1/4" tall
Another Salesman's Sample
My Piece from St. Bonface School
photos via Urban Remains
http://www.saintbonifaceinfo.com/photos/index.html
12 x 6 in size
top and side views
Samples of their Works of Art
a tile
selling at Ebay for $675 as of 2017
It measures 15.75" x 12" x 1"
another salesman's calling card - Ebay
was given to customers of the company
The Union Stock Yard
"In the collection of the Chicago History Museum, Chicago
is this terra-cotta arch from the Union Stock Yard, 1888, Chicago, designed by
the office of Burnham & Root manufactured by Northwestern Terra Cotta
Company, Chicago. Originally this arch stood in the Union Stock Yard at the
National Live Stock Bank of Exchange Avenue and remained there until the
stockyards fire of 1934. Flanking the doorways are figures of a southwest
cattle rancher (left) and John D. Gillett (right), a prominent Illinois cattle
rancher. The arch was also installed at the Stock Yards Inn until the Inn was
demolished in 1976. Then installed around the entrance to the International
Amphitheatre. In 1984 it was donated to the Chicago History Museum." - Rolf Achilles
Union Station
The Company's other Advertisements
images - Ebay
photo - Andrew Jameson via Wikimedia Commons
with a Google Map view
Their Downtown Office Lobby
Remaining Artifacts
by Urban Remains as of 2018
pieces from St. Boniface School building that was part of a salvage operation in the 1990's
Wrigley Chewing Factory office building
A House on Wellington
with a Google Map view
Their Downtown Office Lobby
Remaining Artifacts
by Urban Remains as of 2018
pieces from St. Boniface School building that was part of a salvage operation in the 1990's
Wrigley Chewing Factory office building
The entire exterior of this house that was once located
531 W Wellington was embedded with terra cotta all around it. The house was constructed between 1894 & 1923. According to Windy City Historians-Facebook by a contributor named Greg Brewer, "The house was built in 1900 for Mrs. Margarette True,
prior to her marriage to Horace Brand in 1910. The architects were Huehl and
Schmid. The garage was built in 1910. The architects were Tallmadge and Watson.
The property was apparently sold following Mrs. Brand's death in 1919. The
house was demolished and replaced by an apartment building in 1922."
below photo - Chicago History Museum
via Explore Chicago Collection
to later merge with
International Harvester
from 1880-1930
built in 1880
Artist Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt's depiction
illustration - Art Institute of Chicago unknown date
Receipt dated 1888
when Lake View was a city in Illinois from Ebay
Trading Cards
with the reverse side
with the reverse side
the reverse side
photos - Ebay
The Area along the River in 1894
The Area by 1923
with a zoomed view below
illustration - Art Institute of Chicago unknown date
Receipt dated 1888
when Lake View was a city in Illinois from Ebay
and the reverse side
from my personal collection
Trading Cards from Ebay
with the reverse side
the reverse side
photos - Ebay
A More Detailed View in 1891
The Area by 1950
a Google Earth 2018 View below
William Deering & Company advertisement pages
image above - Ebay
image below - Amazon
image above - Ebay
image below - Amazon
William Deering-a veteran dry-goods wholesaler who had been doing business in Maine and New York-had established a rival harvester factory at Plano, Illinois, southwest of the big city; in 1880, Deering moved his factory to Chicago. Weary of competition, the Deering [William Deering & Company] and McCormick families [McCormick Harvesting Machine Company] began to talk about a merger of their companies during the late 1890's.
Their Catalog
6 photos - Ebay
their story for the Chicago Columbia Exhibition
booklet pages - Ebay
postcard - Ebay
McCormick Deering Chicago Cast Iron Sickle Grinder
photo - Ebay
booklet pages - Ebay
postcard - Ebay
McCormick Deering Chicago Cast Iron Sickle Grinder
photo - Ebay
A New Relationship in 1899
By this time, McCormick had a plant at Blue Island and Western Avenues that employed over 5,000 people; the William Deering & Company on Fullerton Avenue on the city's North Side employed about 7,000. In 1902, McCormick and Deering along with the Plano Manufacturing Co. (which had about 1,400 workers at its West Pullman plant) and two smaller farm equipment makers merged to form International Harvester. The new company was capitalized at $120 million and dominated the American market and, as its name suggested, played an important role in world markets as well. For most of the twentieth century, International Harvester (IH) was one of the leading industrial corporations in the United States; its operations were concentrated in Chicago and its suburbs.
with the backside of it with a meshed photo of the property
images - Ebay
image - Ebay
1922 advertisement
photo - Throwing Wrenches
By 1910, when IH grossed about $100 million in annual sales, it had over 17,000 workers in the Chicago area, making it the leading employer in the region. By that time, IH had established its own steel mill on the city's far South Side, which it named Wisconsin Steel, as well as manufacturing plants in Sweden, Russia, and Germany. A manufacturer of trucks as well as tractors, during the first years of the twentieth century the company moved away from animal-powered equipment and toward motorized vehicles. By the 1930's, as the nation's leading manufacturer of trucks.
– Encyclopedia of Chicago
image - Ebay
An International Harvester of America advertisement
In the first quarter of the 20th century International Harvester had a presence in Europe particularly in Imperial Russia
Manufacturers South of Diversey
established in the District of Lake View
As your recall Fullerton Avenue was the southern border to the township/city, district of Lake View until the end of the 1920's
The A.L. Luetgert Sausage Works
The Company's Location in 1894
zoomed view below
2018 Google Map view below - red star as a marker
North of International Harvester facilities within the manufacturing area along the Chicago River was Adolph Luetgert's Sausage Works once located on Diversey Parkway near the north branch of the Chicago River near Northwestern Terra Cotta Company and the Deering Works.
'Albert Luetgert had established a packing house and stockyard on
the city’s north-side, in the 1700 block of West Diversey Avenue, in 1879. It had become very successful over the
years, from an initial investment of four thousand dollars to a point where the
A.L. Luetgert Sausage & Packing Co. was considered the ‘sausage king’ by 1890’s' according to the Ravenswood-Lake View Historical Association.
Albert Luetgert
photos - Ebay
image - Alchemy of Bones
On May 1, 1897 Mrs. Luetgert, Louisa, disappeared. Albert told his children their mother was visiting her
sister. After a few days, Diedrich Bichnese, Louisa’s brother, reported her
missing to the police. Luetgert [changed his story] now said Louisa 'had run
away with another man.' There are several photographs from Murderpedia and with an accounting of the event by Historical Crime Detective.
Diversey Avenue Bridge - Chicago River
photo via Patrick McBriarity, Bridge Hunter.com
a blueprint in sections
images - Ebay
Paul J. Daemicke & Co.
below postcard - part of my collection
est. 1881
image - Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway
a 1894 Sanborn Fire Map that highlights the location
south of Diversey & Lakewood (Henderson)
an employee button - Ebay
image of map - Ebay
The first bridge opened September 11, 1896 [when Lake
View was a still a relatively newly formed ‘district’ of Chicago and seven
years after the annexation of the City of Lake View in 1889.] It was 184 feet
long and 35 feet wide. It was a steel hand operated swing bridge. Designer was
unknown [according to this website]. Superstructure Contractor was Lassing
Bridge and Iron Company and the substructure contractor was Lydon and Drews Company. The cost was $31,345. [As of
2018 this bridge was on its 2nd design.]
a bridge in Iowa
a blueprint in sections
Paul J. Daemicke & Co.
manufacturers of ice boxes
photos - Ebay
a 1923 Sanborn Fire Maps of a factory
property location from Altgeld to Fullerton
a 1894 map below highlighting
a side view map location along the Evanston branch of the Chicago,Milwuakee, St. Paul RR
image - Linkedin Slide Show
a 1894 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
property location from Dunning to Fullerton
A.H. Buhrke & Company
producer of leather products
such as the lumberjack tree pole climbing belt and
hand-forged Hickory Shaft Putter
photos from Ebay
Standard Cap & Steel Co.
producer of sheet metal products
manufacturer metal products and attachments??
photo - Pinterest
photo - Ebay
M. Linkman & Co.
producer of smoking pipes
Max Lau Colortype Co.
publishing & postcardswith some samples of their product below
postcard - Ebay
1923 Snborn Fire Insurance map below
a zoomed view below
producer of furniture that included toilet commodes
and
... and a lithographing company of an unknown name
a producer of architectural/measurement supplies
with a sample of their product - drafting tool kit
all photos - Ebay
with a sample of their product - drafting tool kit
1920-1960
strategy located next to the Evanon branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul RR
photo - Black Diamond/Google Books
images - Black Diamond/Google Books
photo - Industrial History
unknown source
photo - Hank's Truck Forum
photo - Industrial History
unknown source
notice a RR watch tower that was once located at the intersection of west of Seminary, Clark, & Addison Street
photo via thetolleydodger
photo - via Susan Groff contributor of
LakeView Historical-Facebook view south now defaunt section of Seminary Avenue. Wrigley Field is out of frame to the left of the photo. Franksville and Henry's are in the photo
The Sanborn Fire Map views
The tracks appear slice through the middle of the blocks
Hildebrandt
Coal Company of Chicago
1157 W Newport
Robert J. Hildebrandt lived and worked in Lake View
per this 1911 Illinois list of Corporations
along with a 1923 Sanborn Fire Insurance location ...
1157 W Newport
per this 1911 Illinois list of Corporations
along with a 1923 Sanborn Fire Insurance location ...
(Facebook Album)
1151 W Roscoe Street
a publishing company
1900-1956
located along Racine with a main office on Roscoe
located along Racine with a main office on Roscoe
1923 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
zoomed view at Roscoe/Racine
an ad from a 1958 Lake View High School yearbook
a general view of the area in 1950
their World Fair exhibit
postcard images - Ebay
1902 Chicago Tribune
8x11 Lithograph Inserts
via Ebay
doll cut-outs - Ebay image
... also located at 1800 W Fullerton Avenue
Apparently their administrative/storage buildings were located on Racine Avenue
Apparently their administrative/storage buildings were located on Racine Avenue
the plant on Fullerton Ave
image - 1950 Sanborn Fire Map
property was north & south of Belmont
matchbook - part of my collection
a 1923 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
image - Ebay
a 1923 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of the location
Rutters Coal near Belmont and again at School Street
and its products ...
image - Blue book of Commerce 1940
image - Chicago's Sweet Candy History
1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map - X marks the spots
the buildings were located on both sides of Fletcher Avenue
below image - Ebay
Lake View's Own
1923 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map below
images - Ebay
one of the favorite products
image - Craig Lost Chicago
their office building on Diversey/Broadway
1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
an invoice from the main office on Diversey/Broadway
This invoice is part of my collection
Their office location was on northeast corner of Diversey and Broadway within their own building that was simply called the Curtiss Building according to this 1950 Sanborn Fire Map
with another location on Belmont/Seminary. More than likely the location was a warehouse as well as the main office.
zoomed view of the address
The warehouse location was at 3636 N Broadway
which was originally the Wieland Dairy
at the turn of the 20th century
a window display that indicates the location on Broadway
The display is part of my collection
Advertisements:
1933
1962
established in 1893?
Lake View's Own
once located along the Evanson branch of Chicago Milwaukee RR
patties candy jar
zoomed below
photos by Ebay
and across the tracks ...
photo - Layman Guide to Beer
1887 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
1894 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
1923 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
This building listed in the National Registry of Historical Places as of 1987. Several brewers operated in these building(s) from 1885 either as a beer producing plant or brewery until its demise in 1961. This historical building is located at 1315-1317 West Fletcher within the Belmont & Sheffield area of Lake View. Why is this a landmark - Chicago's initial growing dominance in brewing beer.
stationary - Ebay
images - Ebay
photo - Garry Albrecht
photo - Garry Albrecht
photo - via Christopher Brandt,Forgotten Chicago-Facebook
photo - via Christopher Brandt,Forgotten Chicago-Facebook
”Chicago is the most important railroad center in North America. More lines of track radiate in more directions from Chicago than from any other city. Chicago has long been the most important interchange point for freight traffic between the nation's major railroads.” - Encyclopedia of Chicago
One such railroad was the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company - Evanston Branch that had its beginnings in 1872 twenty-eight years before commuter elevated tracks were built by the North Western Company (Redline and Brownline). The CM&P delivered freight to and from Chicago manufacturers that once included Lake View. Lake View in the 19th and mid - 20th centuries was referred to as a blue collar manufacturing area that included coal yards, metal works, meat storage warehouses, greenhouses and a well-known Chicago brewery.
with a zoomed view below
1894
with a zoomed view below
with a zoomed 1950 view below
The Best Brewing Company of Chicago was located along the CM&P so to economically transport their product to market. The building was originally owned by breweries Klockgeter & Company in 1885 and then Kagebein & Folstaff one year later. The buildings occupants were many but all related to brewing beer. Their beer products of this company were the ‘Hapsburg Bock’ (1933-1962), ‘Hapsburg Beer’ (1933-1962), and ‘Best Ale’ (1937-1962). Currently, the building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 and used for residential space. Most of the buildings of the former manufacturing area are physically gone but not completely forgotten thanks to Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (Google maps of its day) that were created in the 19th century for primarily for property insurance, fire protection.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map views:
1887
part of my personal collection
Lakewood has a tree and shrub barrier at this point
photo - Garry Albrecht
View north toward the barrier on Barry Avenue
photo - Garry Albrecht
crumbling of the street due to the covering of the tracks
photo - Garry Albrecht
tracks are to the right of the map below
Tracks begin to appear as late as 2012
- view north and south on Diversey Parkway
photos - Garry Albrecht
a candy company in
Community of Lincoln Park
established in the District of Lake View
1914-2007
tracks to the left
photo - Ebay
photo - Chicago: ChiTown/My Town-Facebook
C&E heading towards Peerless Confection - 2000
photo - Chicago Switching
The most popular company along its route was
Peerless Candies once located at Lakewood and Schubert in Lincoln Park along with Finkl Steel once located further south. Read and view more about the Evanston Branch that link downtown.
A pinball company 1932 - 1977
a division of Chicago Dynamic Industries
1725 W Diversey Parkway
photo - Craig's Lost Chicago
Crazy Ball 1948
Once located in Chicago, Illinois, the center of the pinball and arcade game industry since the early days of the coin operated amusement industry. The Chicago Coin was formed in 1931 by partners Sam Gensburg, Lou Koren and Sam Wolberg. Chicago Coin, more so than its main competitors, tended to be a general purpose arcade amusement company. The company made products such as shuffle bowling games, electro-mechanical car driving games.
image - Pinterest
a postcard mailer - Ebay
Around-the-World Trainer 1955 - Ebay
all images above - Ebay 1972 pinballs
all images above - Ebay unknown date
postcard - Chicago History in Postcards
'In 1909, when Congress passed the new Payne-Aldrich tariff imposing an import duty on all view cards coming in from Germany—the American printing houses all celebrated their good fortune. Only one, however, was truly in prime position to fill the production gap that the Germans were leaving behind. “It takes one to know one,” as they say, and nobody knew the latest German printing methods quite like Curt Teich.Teich’s increasingly eye-catching designs and growing fleet of offset presses (soon able to print 100+ cards on one sheet and roughly 500,000 cards per day, per machine) sent his business blazing into the 1910’s. A team of 10 print shop workers back in 1901 had grown to 80 by 1906, and 190 by 1911, when the company purchased an expansive new headquarters at 1745 W. Irving Park Road. Many of the employees making the move to the new building were fellow German immigrants and uniquely trained artists, specializing in photolithography, as well as drawing and retouching.
The decision was made to
invest in several new high-speed, offset rotary presses—massive machines that
could rapidly print 32 different card designs, in full color, on one sheet. As
an added wrinkle, Curt also devised a cost-saving hybrid method that was
inspired by German trends, but still uniquely his own. It essentially involved
combining traditional letterpress printing (with a black halftone base) and
offset lithography, which could overprint four-color inks. When the “golden age” of
postcards ended, i.e., when the initial bubble burst on sales slowed just
before World War I, hundreds of publishers either folded or counted their
losses and moved along to the next trend. Curt Teich & Company was one of
the exceptions; not only surviving, but thriving. Yes, machining and technical
prowess had played a large part in the firm’s emergence as the standard-bearers
for the trade, but mass production only mattered if you also had the orders to
fill, and Teich mobilized client acquisition better than anyone else.
By the 1910’s, Curt Teich
& Company was producing about 150 million postcards annually, a large
percentage of which were being purchased at so-called “five and dime” stores,
such as F. W. Woolworth, where racks of local interest cards were routinely
picked over and restocked. Teich saw this development early on, and became an
exclusive supplier to Woolworth and other similar retailers.
Excerpt from an article published by Made in Chicago Museum
both postcards - Chuckman Collection
The Curt Teich & Company, Inc. building is of heavy timber and masonry loft industrial structure. It consists of an original three story (west) section and a five story (east) addition. The building is located on the southeast corner of Irving Park Road and East Ravenswood Avenue, along the industrial corridor next to the railroad tracks in the neighborhood known at the time as Ravenswood. Listed on the National Registry of Historical Places since 1990. Per the Registry, ' The Curt Teich and Company, Inc. building is a heavy
timber and masonry loft industrial structure. It consists of an original
three story (west) section and a five story (east) addition.' The building is
located on the southeast corner of Irving Park Road and East Ravenswood,
along the light industrial corridor next to the railroad tracks in the
neighborhood known as Ravenswood. The building faces north on Irving Park
Road. It was known as the world's largest volume printer that manufactured postcards. The company operated from 1898 to 1978. In fact, most of all of the postcard images in this blog are from this manufacturer and collected from various collections such as Chuckman Collection, Chicago History in Postcards, and Ebay. Read more about their world-known postcards with this link.
the company before at the same location - images - Ebay
'The earlier west section [of the building] sets on property purchased by James McDonald about 1891 and built a second plant?? -
J. S. McDonald & Company by 1901. J.S. McDonald & Co
produce loose-leaf ledgers. It was then purchased by Curt Teich in 1910. Though the exact date and the architect of this building are unknown, it bears resemblance to the Dearborn Street station at Polk and Dearborn, built in 1885 and designed by architect Cyrus L. W. Eidlitz. It is built of red pressed brick in a Romanesque design.'
- National Register Nominations For Chicago
page 2
images - Ebay
tri-image postcard with a linen surface
From the 1920's to the 1940's, Curt Teich & Co., the company that originally occupied this northside address, churned out more postcards than any other printer in the world. Over its 80-year history, the company produced cards featuring more than 10,000 towns and cities in North America and 87 foreign countries. According the publication 'Hidden History of Ravenswood & Lake View' by Patrick Butler
(p 116) "salespeople would take pictures of local landmarks or businesses and try to get those businesses to order postcards to promote the local attractions".
Welcome to Chicago
part of my collection
a 1910 Booklet
images - Ebay
photo of Postcard Place - Wikimapia
The location of the building is on the corner of Irving Park Road and Ravenswood Street. Currently, the building houses residences and is now called Postcard Place as of 1996.
Abbott Alkaloidal Company
(Abbott Laboratories)
District of Lake View - Ravenswood
est. 1888
a medical kit - Ebay
medicine bottle - Ebay
Wallace C. Abbott
photo - Abbott Labs website
Abbott Laboratories traces its beginnings to 1888 when Dr. Wallace C. Abbott operated a small pharmaceutical facility in the kitchen of his apartment [and then later in the basement of his home on
4605 N Hermitage Avenue with images of billing with the factory address on them.
image - Ebay
images - Ebay
image - Ravenswood-Lake View Association
He produced pills called "dosimetric granules," which provided a uniform quantity of drugs. He sold his products to other physicians, and in 1900 the business was incorporated in Illinois as Abbott Alkaloidal Company. By 1905 annual sales grew to $200,000. The name was changed to Abbott Laboratories in 1915. During World War I, Abbott prospered by developing anesthetics that were previously only available from Germany. These included procaine, a replacement for German novocaine, and barbital, a substitute for veronal. After the war Abbott built a manufacturing plant in North Chicago.- Lehmann Brothers Collection
a vintage medicine bottle
part of my collection
District of Lake View - Ravenswood
est. 1888
Berteau & Ravenswood avenues
The finest mallet percussion instruments
ever created in the United States
ever created in the United States
J.C. Deagan succeeded in transforming the rough pieces of metal into a set of perfectly tuned bells which soon became standard orchestra equipment. He began to manufacture these bells in 1880.
from Chuckman Collection
photos - Century Mallet Instrumental Service
Currently, home of the Century Mallet Instrument Service 
Watch a video about their instruments
4001-43 Ravenswood Avenue
once an engraving business
now owned by Hayes Properties
Sample of their products
images from Ebay
once an engraving business
Sample of their products
est. in Chicago in 1896
Per Wikipedia, a ‘watchclock’ is a mechanical clock used
by security guards as part of their Guard tour patrol system which require
regular patrols. The most commonly used form was the mechanical clock systems
that required a key for manual punching of a number to a strip of paper inside
with the time pre-printed on it. (photoS below from Ebay)
4143 N Ravenswood
a sewage and treatment company
a sewage and treatment company
image - Stor
all images - 'Everything But The House'
2018 Google Earth view
2018 Google Maps view
a 1928 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map view
with a zoomed view of the building below
2018 Google view east of tracks
1931 ad above
1905 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
images - Fine Art Journal 1911
They most popolar seriewe of dishware at the time
In the Shop
F.W. Steward Manufacturing Company
image - Popular Science
photo - Antique Fans Collectors Association
est. 1906
Union Linen Supply Company
image - State of Illinois Biennial Report of 1912
While the company no longer exists the building as of 2019 still stands and remembered with its' red brick exterior
located Belmont Avenue since 1902
photos - Yo Chicago
'Among the dozen or more binderies of the day, his alone survives, at 1751 W. Belmont Ave., where the bindery's success over 128 years stands as a monument to shrewd adaptation to changing times.'
Read more from this 1996 article by Chicago Tribune
a sample of their craftsmanship
images - Elston Press
'The Decameron' printed in 1887 - Ebay
Founder died in 1936
'The Decameron' printed in 1887 - Ebay
Founder died in 1936
an article in 1984
(click on segment of this article to enlarge)
(click on segment of this article to enlarge)
Read more from this 2007 article online and
from Yo Chicago about this ageless company
Charles A. Hohmeier Lumber Company
1705-39 W Belmont Avenue/at Paulina
This company was established before
Lake View became a township
location in 1923 above
advertisement postcard below
Community of Ravenswood,
District of Lake View
1901-1941 in Ravenswood
with a zoomed view below
a sample of their product
photos - Garry Albrecht, owner
The China-Painter
THE ORGANIC INDUSTRIES:
The Greenhouses & Hothouses
Greenhouses and hothouses were used for growing fruits,
vegetables and floral plants/flowers.
Budlong Pickle Works
This 1894 Sanborn Fire Map shows the location of the
The J.A. Budlong Greenhouses and Hothouses
The Budlong Brothers opened a successful pickle factory in 1857 and expanded into the commercial flower business with the opening of Budlong greenhouses in 1880. The farms were noted not only for pickles but for cucumbers and onions. They are regarded by locals as the original guardians of Budlong Woods as well as Bowmanville community. The Chicago Daily News 1903 article below highlights the farms features and its workers as well as a Native American burial sight located in that area
According to Jennifer Sherman Yonesawa via Living History of Illinois and Chicago-Facebook "the Budlong Pickle Company began in the late 1800’s on a 500-acre
farm around the area that is now Foster between California and Western. The
area is still known as Budlong Woods. In 1908 it was sold to my aunt’s family.
When her father, George Hathaway retired in the late 1950’s he sold the company
and it was eventually absorbed by Dean Foods."
Below is a Chicago Tribune article about school revisiting their namesake and honoring a man who was
one of the first to settle in the area.
Lynn Budlong: A Memory in 1965
page 2
The Albert Fuchs Greenhouses
Lake View
Mr. Fuch was noted for his prized Cycas revoluta
Fuch would replace his greenhouses
with flats (apartments) called the Chateau
and created a theater of the same name on Grace at Halsted Street. The article below highlights this fact.
with flats (apartments) called the Chateau
and created a theater of the same name on Grace at Halsted Street. The article below highlights this fact.
George Wittbold & Company
greenhouse and nursery
with a Buckingham Place Shop
an advertisement that appeared in the
1931 Lake View Yearbook
text - Directories of Director in the City of Chicago 1902
with a Buckingham Place Shop
1931 Lake View Yearbook
- The Tales of a Traveler:Reminiscences & Reflections 1916
The Buckingham Place building was renovated from a storefront to condo units during the 1990's. I remember the store as an expanse, independent floral store when I moved to LakeView in 1993 as highlighted in the article below.
with a zoom view of some of them
The Tools of the Trade
The tools used to remove ice blocks from the ice ponds to be stored in the precursor to electric refrigerators - ice boxes
2 images - Ebay
(click on article to enlarge)
Most of the earliest greenhouse were located near cemeteries of the old township much like J.A Budlong properties
near Rose Hill Cemetery.
The Sanborn Fire Maps of 1894 highlights most of them located in the newly formed district of Lake View in Chicago.
Greenhouses:
Near Rosehill Cemetery
Front = Ravenswood Avenue
Armin Avenue = Thorndale Avenue
Commercial = Ashland Avenue
Cemetery Road = West Rosehill Drive
1894 Sanborn Fire Map
Ridge Road = Bowmanville Avenue
1894 Sanborn Fire Map
Ridge Road = Bowmanville Avenue
1894 Sanborn Fire Map depicting hothouses
Ridge Avenue = North Ridge Boulevard
Pratt = West Pratt Boulevard
Other Greenhouses
Further South
1894 Sanborn Fire Map depicting Chicago & Evanston RR tracks for easy transport to market
Evanston = Broadway Avenue
1894 Sanborn Fire Map depicting a location at top of image
Commercial = Hermitage Avenue
1894 Sanborn Fire Map
(Perry = Greenview Avenue)
(Cosgrove = Warner Avenue)
Below is a 1894 Sanborn Fire Map
(Dunning = Altgeld Avenue)
The Clay Pits, Ice Ponds, & Brickyards:
‘Fired clay brick’ is a type of brick that has been used as a primary building material before the United States
- text fromThe Brick Industry Association, edited
- text fromThe Brick Industry Association, edited
‘Clay pavers’ are another type of clay brick that have been used in the United States
The Ice Ponds & Clay Pits
'brick' manufacturing locations
The ice ponds were sold off to ice companies that cut the ice for consumer 'ice boxes' - a precursor to refrigerators
a majority of the ponds in modern Lake View
were located south of Diversey north of Fullerton
per this 1887 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
"When clay pits satisfied or nearly satisfied their usefulness, most often, the earth pits would be allowed by the owners to be filled-in with water (naturally?) so that an ice pond would be created for winter fun. But as the articles below indicate the summer months tell a different and much less fun story of the unhealthy conditions of the pits when the brick manufacturers abandoned the useless pits. The article mentions that the pits were allowed to filled with garbage and other waste products in the humid and hot summer months some of the pits located near schools. Some of the pits would be covered during the summer months the odor was repugnant to bare."
The Chicago Tribune article's text is dated June 17, 1892.
a zoomed view of two of those companies
sectional map 1
sectional map 2
sectional map 3
the building on the lower right is Prescott School
west of Ashland
sectional map 4
Below is a short history of the clay pits and its relationship to manufacturing of bricks from Lake View Saga 1837-1985
Brickyard Companies along Ashland Avenue in 1891
Death Pits & Health Issue in 1892
The Brick Yards
The making the bricks
Some Locations
per 1887 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Greenview to Ashland
Barry to Diversey
Labor Troubles in 1884
The Tools of the Trade
The tools used to remove ice blocks from the ice ponds to be stored in the precursor to electric refrigerators - ice boxes
2 images - Ebay
All the green/hot houses and clay pits/ice ponds have been replaced by dwellings that mirrored the technologies and/or usefulness of an era that is now mostly forgotten. This post reminds the reader/viewer what once was in our neighborhood area. When you walk down a street shown above ... pause and remember with some regret for these pits could have been natural reservoirs or lagoons.
When you can't fool with Mother Nature
before the Big Tunnel in the 1970's by Lance Grey
"Interesting how they took advantage of the ancient lake beds in the swath from Fullerton to Belmont. - Not only for brickyards, but in the Winter months for small artificial Lakes centered near today's Wrightwood Park, to build Ice Houses & Kilns (per Chas. Rasscher 1887 maps) - And the role the clay plays in recurring flooding problems in the area- as experienced near this Quonset Warehouse known as Majestic Screw & Bolt where I worked in the '70’s just south of Diversey on Greenview. [Shown in a May-1955 photo]"
No Post Note:
Important Note:
These posts are exclusively used for educational purposes. I do not wish to gain monetary profit from this blog nor should anyone else without permission for the original source - thanks!
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