Hibbard, Spencer Bartlett & Co. State Street Warehouse

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Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. State Street Bridge
Life Span: 1903-1924
Location: Northeast corner of N. State and E. South Water
Architect: Charles S. Frost

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1904

Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co.

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Chicago Tribune, July 31, 1901

Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. will shortly commence the erection of a ten-story fireproof warehouse costing $500,000 on property acquired by them about three years ago on North Water street, east of St. Clair. This, together with the buildings erected by Butler Bros. and the Western Cold Storage company on the property on West Lake, Randolph, and West Water streets, will make an aggregate of $1,500,000 which will be invested in warehouse buildings.

The Inter Ocean, April 27, 1902

In excavating for the ten-story warehouse which Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. will erect at State and Water streets, the Grace & Hyde company, builders, have discovered several rows of charred and decayed piling, each of which seems to have marked at one time the northern boundary line of a row of buildings, extending to the edge of the Chicago river. The most northerly of these is now many feet south of the edge of the river, indicating, any surveyors, that there has been a encroachment on the river bed by past owners of the land.

The discovery of the piling, the charred condition of which shows it was sunk prior to the great fire, has led to a search of early surveys of the land on which it is situated. These surveys show that the land, now the property of Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co., is a part iof the “Fort Dearborn reservation,” sold at public auction by the government in 1839.

Old Survey in Evidence.
According to a government survey made in that year the lot at the northeast corner of State and Water street, had, when sold by the government, a frontage on State street of forty-five feet only, whereas it has now a frontage on that street of seventy-two feet, approximately.

The lot was purchased several months ago by Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co., from the estate of C. M. Reed of Erie, Pa. At the same time the firm acquired possession of several months ago by Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co., from the estate of C. M. Reed or Erie, Pa. At the same time the firm acquired possession of several other lots, adjoining on the east, and northeast and fronting on Water and River streets. These also have increased considerably in area since the government survey of 1839, owing to artificial accretion, say surveyors.

The price paid by Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett for the lots was about $12 a square foot or, in all, $495,000. The position of the old piling unearthed by the Grace & Hyde Co., and the discrepancy between the government survey of 1839 and recent measurements of the land have given rise to the question whether the firm is able to prove a clear title to all the ground it bargained for. Instead, it is claimed by persons who have investigated the subject that a big slice of the river frontage east of State street, on which will be built Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co.’s new warehouse, may belong to the government.

The Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. building is to contain between 6,000 and 7,000 tons of steel.

Legal Fight Unlikely.
That the title to this land will be made the subject of legal controversy is not considered likely, although the advisability of taking steps to this end was agitated by many North State street merchants at the time the old bridge across the river at State street was demolished. Inasmuch as the drainage board decided it would be impossible to build a foot bridge across the river at that point for use while the new bascule bridge was being constructed, without encroaching on private property, the question was raised whether much of the land east of State street and fronting on the river had not been added by artificial accretion, and whether the board would not be justified in pre-empting enough of the land for an approach to the temporary structure.

“We will not be able to assist the board in its dilemma,”: A. C. Bartlett, vice president of Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co., when informed the drainage board might request that his firm surrender a part of its river frontage. “We need the land for our warehouse. As to whether we can prove a clear title to all of it, I believe there can be no serious doubt, although I have not investigated the matter.”

Fireproof Magazine, February, 1903

FIREPROOF WAREHOUSE
For The Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett Company, Chicago.
So extensive has the use of fireproofing become in the last few years that no building erected in any of our progressive cities is considered safe or complete without it. This may be said of hotels, apartments, elevators, asylums, etc., but is especially true of warehouse buildings, where quantities of valuable merchandise are carried and where safety to goods as well as an uninterruption to business through damage to property by fire is considered.

Messrs. Frost & Granger, architects, had these points in mind when they drew up their plans and specifications for the Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett building of Chicago, illustrated above, as will be attested by the thoroughness of detail with which they went into this all-important subject of fireproofing for this prominent structure, which occupies one entire block, extending from State street to Wabash avenue and from South Water street to the Chicago river, having a total floor area of over 400,000 square feet.

The building is erected on the steel skeleton idea, of the very best materials of all kinds to be found in the market, and in accordance with the building ordinances of Chicago; is divided into three parts by brick fire walls extending from basement to roof, the openings in these walls being provided with heavy iron doors to stop the spread of fire should any occur in the large stock of merchandise constantly carried.

The elevator shafts throughout the building are also built of brick and all openings provided with same style of heavy iron doors, while all stairways, located in convenient parts of the building, are entirely inclosed with fireproof material, thus making it absolutely possible to confine a fire to the floor or room in which it originates without danger of communication to the rooms on either side or to the floors above or below. Not only was careful consideration given to the quality of material to be used, but, as will be seen by reference to the sheet of details herewith submitted, the architects have also given special attention to designing the scheme of fireproofing for this work, which includes nearly ten acres of floor and roof arches, as well as the complete protection of all columns, girders, lintels, fascias and other iron or steel work, with semi-porous hollow tile fireproofing material.

All floor and roof arches are constructed of six-inch segmental arches, approximately 4 feet 8 inch spans, with double air space vanissoirs and abutments, affording 1½ inches of fireproof protection to the under side of all floor beams, and after floor arches had been set the upper part of beam, which was not protected by tile or fireproofing, was thoroughly coated with Portland cement mortar to avoid corrosion by the concrete which was used to fill in the haunches of arches level with top of floor beams.

The regulation two-by-four floor strips were then put down in the usual manner and the spaces between same were filled with concrete to shut off air draughts and to fill up the space immediately under the finished floor, but no concrete was protected by a 3-inch tile, which is clamped into position, the clamps being concealed and protected by a slab of tile, as shown in the drawing. The webs are covered by two courses of tile, the one next the flange being 3 inches in thickness and the other one 4 inches.

The majority of columns throughout the building are of cast-iron, ranging in size from 13 inches in diameter in the basement to 7 inches in diameter on the top floor, all of which were covered with 3 inches of fire-proofing, as shown by the detail drawing.

For the larger sizes these coverings were made in five pieces, which were securely clamped together, thus excluding the possibility of dislodging any of the tiles .

These clamps are entirely concealed in the joints of the tile work and are considered preferable to the old method of wrapping column covers with copper wire.

The square columns in connection with driveway are covered as shown in the detail drawing, clamps being used to tie the tiles together, same as for the round coverings.

All toilet room floors are built up with hollow tile, as shown in detail, so as to give
plumbling pipes the necessary drainage.

This Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett building may be considered one of the best examples of a fireproof building extant, for in its construction the greatest care and discrimination has been exercised in the selection of the fireproofing materials and in their application and in the construction throughout.

The Chicago Tribune, November 6, 1919

South Water Street Agreement.
Another thing, Michael J. Faherty, President of the Board of Local Improvements, has accomplished which the public knows nothing about is to come to an understanding with the Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett people by which their huge building, extending along South Water street from State Street Bridge to River street, shall go without litigation or further voting.

Even the Chicago Plan Commission did not dare bring that issue before the public as an immediate feature of the South Water street widening and double decking, fearing to be charged with insane extravagance in proposing just now that that colossal structure be pushed into the river. The removal of the building was to await the time when the widening of the rest of the street and its conversion into a two level street had convinced that even a plant so costly as Hibbard, Spencer & Bartlett’s must not stand in the way of the completing of the picture.

Chicago Tribune, September 6, 1924

By Al Chase.
A “hardware tower“—the tallest and largest building in the world devoted to the wholesale hardware business—to cost several millions and to be sixteen stories tall, is to be the newest addition to Michigan boulevard bridge skyscraper colony, according to Frank Hibbard, vice president of Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co.

This huge structure, 464 feet long and 120 feet wide, is to erected at 219 East North Water street and the north bank of the Chicago river, from plans by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White.

The site now is occupied by an old four story warehouse which will be wrecked to make way for the skyscraping hardware tower. The property is 300 feet east of the Kirk soap factory on a diagonal from Tribune square.

This announcement by Mr. Hibbard will answer the question which has been asked repeatedly since the carrying out of the South Water street boulevard project was assured: Where will Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. go when they tear down their ten story building at State Street bridge?

As this big structure was the only large, modern building in the path of the river boulevard, the delay in announcing the new site for the company had caused a little uneasiness to the Chicago Plan commission.

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