1871 Building Directory
Pre-Fire Chicago | 1871 Building Directory | Pre-Fire Engravings | Pre-Fire Gallery
The following is a list of the more prominent buildings in the City of Chicago at the time of the Great Fire. Unless noted, all buildings were destroyed. If an image is available of the building, it is linked to the specific Gallery page.
| A.M.N. Express Office, NW corner Dearborn and Lake | Lumberman’s Exchange, corner South Water and Franklin | |
| Academy of Design, Adams, between State and Dearborn | Mackin’s Building, State, between Madison and Monroe | |
| Academy of Music, Washington, between Clark and Dearborn | Magie’s Building, corner LaSalle and Randolph | |
| Adam’s Express Office, Dearborn, between Lake and Randolph | Mahlon D. Ogden’s Home, Dearborn, between Oak and Whitney – Not Destroyed | |
| Ætna Building, LaSalle, between Madison and Washington | Major Block, SE corner LaSalle and Madison | |
| A. H. Miller’s’ Building, corner State and Madison | Marine Bank Building, NE corner Lake and LaSalle | |
| Adams House, NW corner Lake and Michigan | Massasoit House, SW corner South Water and Central | |
| Aiken’s Theater, 115-117 Dearborn | Matteson House, NW corner Dearborn and Randolph | |
| Andrew’s Building, LaSallle, between Madison and Monroe | McCarthy’s Building, corner Clark and Randolph | |
| Andrews and Otis’s Building, Clark, between Monroe and Adams | McCarthy’s Building, corner Dearborn and Randolph | |
| Arcade Buildings, Clark, between Madison and Monroe | McCormick’s Block, corner Dearborn and Randolph | |
| Armory Police Court, SW corner Franklin and Adams | McCormick’s Building, corner Michigan and Lake | |
| Barnes House, corner Randolph and Canal | McKee’s Building, corner Wabash and Randolph | |
| Berlin Block, corner State and Madison | McVicker’s Theatre, Madison, between State and Dearborn | |
| Bigelow Hotel, SW corner Adams and Dearborn | Mechanics’ Building, Washington, between LaSalle and Wells | |
| Blake’s Building, Washington, between Wells and Franklin | Meller’s Jewelry Store, SE corner Randolph and Clark | |
| Booksellers Row, State, between Washington and Madison | Mercantile Building, LaSalle and Washington | |
| Boone Block, LaSalle, between Washington and Madison | Merchant’s Insurance Building, NW corner LaSalle and Washington | |
| Bowen’s Building, Randolph, between Michigan and Wabash | Methodist Church Block, corner Clark and Washington | |
| Bradner Smith, South Water, between Dearborn and Clark | Metropolitan Hall, SW corner LaSalle and Randolph | |
| Brigg’s House, NE corner Wells and Randolph – Not Destroyed | Metropolitan Hotel, SW corner Randolph and Wells | |
| Bryan Block, corner LaSalle and Monroe | Michigan Southern, Rock Island & Northern Indiana Depot, SW corner LaSalle and VanBuren | |
| Burch’s Block, NE corner Lake and Wabash | Monroe Building, corner Clark and Monroe | |
| Calhoun Block, Clark, between Washington and Madison | Morrison Block, SE corner of Madison and Clark | |
| Central Block, NE corner Market and Washington | Newbury Block, corner Wells and Kinzie | |
| Chamber of Commerce Building, SE corner LaSalle and Washington | Nixon Building, NE corner LaSalle and Monroe – Not Destroyed | |
| Chicago Historical Society, SE corner N. Dearborn & Ontario | North’s Amphitheater, Monroe, near Wells | |
| Chicago Mutual Life Insurance Building, Wells, between Washington and Randolph | Norton Block, South Water, between Clark and Dearborn | |
| Chicago Times Building, Dearborn, between Washington and Madison | Ogden Hotel, Quincy and Jackson, between Clark and LaSalle | |
| Chicago Tribune Building, SE corner Dearborn and Madison | Old Board of Trade Buildings, South Water, between LaSalle and Wells | |
| City Hotel, SE corner State and Lake | Open Board Building, Madison, between Clark and LaSalle | |
| City Water Works, corner Chicago and Pine | Orient House | |
| Cleveland House, corner Clark and Kinzie | Oriental Building, LaSalle, between Washington and Madison | |
| Clarenden House, corner North Clark and Ontario | Otis Block, corner Madison and LaSalle | |
| Clifton House, SE corner Madison and Wabash | Otis Building, corner State and Madison | |
| Cobb’s Block, corner Lake and Wabash | Pacific Hotel, corner Clark and Quincy | |
| Cobb’s Building, Dearborn, between Washington and Madison | Palmer House, NE corner Wabash and Quincy | |
| Collins & Burgie Stove Works, corner Jefferson and VanBuren | Pardee’s Building, corner South Water and Wells | |
| Commercial Building, corner LaSalle and Lake | Phoenix Building, LaSalle, between Randolph and Washington | |
| Court House, Randolph and Washington, between Clark and LaSalle | Pomeroy’s Building, South Water, between Clark and LaSalle | |
| Crosby’s Building, State, between Randolph and Washington | Pope’s Block, Madison, between Clark and LaSalle | |
| Crosby’s Opera House, Washington, between Dearborn and State | Portland Block, SE corner Dearborn and Washington | |
| Custom House, NW corner Dearborn and Monroe | Post Office Building, Dearborn, between Madison and Monroe | |
| De Haven Block, Dearborn, between Quincy and Jackson | Post Office, NW corner Dearborn and Monroe | |
| Dearborn Theatre, Dearborn, between Washington and Madison | Prairie Farmer Building, Monroe, between Dearborn and Clark | |
| Depository Building, Randolph between Clark and LaSalle | Purple’s Block, corner North Clark and Ontario | |
| Dickey’s Building, corner Dearborn and Lake | Raymond Block, corner State and Madison | |
| Dole’s Building, NW corner Clark and South Water | Republic Life Insurance Building, LaSalle, between Madison and Monroe | |
| Drake and Farwell Block, corner Wabash and Washington | Revere House, NE corner Kinzie and Clark | |
| European Hotel, SW corner State and Lake | Reynold’s Block, SW corner Dearborn and Madison | |
| Everett House | Rice’s Building, Dearborn, between Randolph and Washington | |
| Evening Post, Dearborn, between Washington and Madison | Richmond House, NW corner South Water and Michigan | |
| Ewing Block, North Clark, between North Water and Kinzie | Scammon’s Building, corner Randolph and Michigan | |
| Exchange Bank Building, corner Lake and Clark | Shepard’s Block, SE corner Dearborn and Monroe | |
| Farwell Hall, Madison, near SW corner Clark | Sherman House NW corner Clark and Randolph | |
| Field, Leiter & Co., NE corner State and Washington | Shreve Building, Washington, between Dearborn and Clark | |
| First Baptist Church, SE corner Washington and LaSalle | Nixon’s Block, SW corner Clark and Washington | |
| First Methodist Episcpoal Church, SE corner Clark and Washington | Southern Hotel, NW corner 22nd and Wabash – Not Burned | |
| First National Bank, SW corner State and Washington | Speed’s Building, Dearborn. between Washington and Madison | |
| Flander’s Block, foot South Water | St. James Hotel, NW corner State and Washington | |
| Fry’s Building, LaSalle, between Washington and Randolph | Staats Zeitung Building, Madison, between Dearborn and Clark | |
| Fullerton’s Block, corner Washington and Dearborn | Stearn’s Building, Washington, between LaSalle and Fifth Avenue | |
| Galena & Chicago Union Railway Depot, SW corner Wells and Kinzie | Steel’s Block, corner LaSalle and South Water | |
| Gallup Building, corner LaSalle and Madison | Stome’s Building, Madison, between Clark and LaSalle | |
| Garrett Block, corner Randolph and State | Taylor’s Block, corner Franklin and South Water | |
| Gas Works, NW corner Market and Adams | Terrace Row, Michigan, between Congress and Van Buren | |
| Hartford Fire Insurance Building, LaSalle, between Randolph and Lake | Tremont House, SE corner Lake and Dearborn | |
| Holt’s Building, Washington, between LaSalle and Wells | Trinity Church, Jackson, between Michigan and Wabash | |
| Honoré Block, Dearborn, between Monroe and Adams | Turner’s Building, corner North State and Kinzie | |
| Illinois Central Land Department Building, Michigan, between Lake and South Water | Turner Hall, Clark, between Chicago and Pine | |
| Iron Block, Lake, between Wabash and Michigan | Tyler’s Block, LaSalle, between Lake and South Water | |
| Keep’s Building, Clark, between Madison and Monroe | Uhlich Block, North Clark, between Kinzie and North Water | |
| Kent’s Building, No. 153 Monroe | Union Building, SW corner LaSalle and Washington | |
| King’s Block, NW corner Washington and Dearborn | U.S. Express Office, NW corner Lake and Clark | |
| Lakeside Building, corner Adams and Clark | Volk’s Building, 197 Washington | |
| Larmon Block, NE corner Clark and Washington | Walker’s Block, Dearborn, between Lake and Randolph | |
| Lincoln Block, corner Lake and Franklin | Warner’s Block, Randolph, between Dearborn and Clark | |
| Lind’s Block, corners Randolph and Lake and Market | Washington’s Block, Clark, between Washington and Madison | |
| Link’s Block, corner LaSalle and Lake | Wheeler’s Block, corner Clark and South Water | |
| Lloyd’s Block, corner Randolph and Fifth Avenue | Wicker’s Building, corner State and South Water | |
| Lombard Block, corner Monroe and Custom House place, between Clark and Dearborn | Wright Brother’s Building, corner North State and Kinzie | |
| Loomis Block, SW corner Clark and South Water | ||
