The red brick clock tower rising above Dearborn Station identifies the building from blocks away. Built in eighteen eighty-five, it served as the city’s primary gateway for passengers arriving from the south and west. By the nineteen…
Printers Row Bookish Walk
This neighborhood walk traces the brick printing warehouses and historic landmarks of Printers Row, where Chicago's massive 19th-century publishing industry thrived. We will walk past historic publishing lofts, a classic independent bookstore, and impressive skyscrapers that once vibrated with the sound of printing presses.
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1. Dearborn Station
2. The Lakeside Press Building
The Lakeside Press Building stands out with its heavy, ornate terra cotta facade and the massive, oversized windows that wrap around the corners of the structure. When R. R. Donnelley finished the building in nineteen twelve, he filled it…
3. The New Franklin Building
The New Franklin Building wears a facade of distinctively heavy, dark terra cotta, rising above its neighbors with a series of arched windows that span its upper floors. When it opened in nineteen twelve, the structure provided a high-end…
4. Sandmeyer's Bookstore
Sandmeyer's Bookstore stands out with its floor-to-ceiling wooden shelves that hold a collection of books hand-picked by the family who owns the shop. While the neighborhood was once the center of the printing industry, this store serves…
5. Transportation Building Condo
The Transportation Building rises fourteen stories with a buff-colored brick facade that spans nearly the entire block between Dearborn and Federal streets. Built in nineteen eleven, the structure served as a hub for dozens of railway…
6. Mergenthaler Linotype Building
The Mergenthaler Linotype Building stands out with its heavy terra cotta detailing and the deep-set, arched windows that line its facade. Built in nineteen thirteen, this structure served as the regional headquarters for the company that…
7. Old Franklin Building
The Old Franklin Building features a distinctive terra cotta facade adorned with intricate carvings of printing presses and open books. Constructed in nineteen twelve, the structure provided a permanent home for the Chicago Typographical…
8. Manhattan Apartments
The Manhattan Building on Dearborn Street holds the record for the oldest surviving skyscraper in Chicago that uses a skeleton of riveted steel. When William Le Baron Jenney finished it in eighteen ninety-one, he pushed his luck with the…