The Montauk Block
Life Span: 1882-1902
Location: 111 to 117 Monroe St.
Architect: Burnham & Root
- Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1884
Montauk Blk.—111 to 117 Monroe
Andreas Alfred T. pub. 42 Montauk blk. house 170 Locust
Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1885
Montauk Blk.—111 to 117 Monroe
Graceland Cemetery Co. 56 Montauk blk.
Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1904
Montauk Blk.—111 to 117 Monroe
Peter and Shepard Brooks were developers of a few buildings in Chicago. They were;
- Montauk Block 1882
The Rookery 1885
Monadnock Building 1892
Marquette Building 1893
Brooks Building 1910
Chicago Tribune, October 15, 1882
Montauk Block on Monroe street, between Clark and Dearborn streets, is now completed, and about three-fourths occupied.The building was designed by Messrs. Burnham & Root, and measures 146 feet from the highest point of the roof to sidewalk. In massive and fire-proof construction it is without an equal in the West. This building demonstrates that the day of dark offices near the street is past in Chicago. Contrary to the general rule in the past if there be a choice in offices it is in favor of the upper stories, where a fine view, sunshine, light, air, and quiet are only possible, while swift elevators furnished with every safety appliance make such offices just as accessible as those upon the lower floors. We venture to predict that in the future no first-class office building less than eight stories in height be built in Chicago.
The building—one of the most extraordinary examples of masonry ever produced in this city and in fact the finest in the West is entirely of brick, and, such is its height, and because of its uniformity of color, appears as an enormous brick set on end. The color is a dark-red, without a shade of variation in color in the whole surface, The Hydraulic Pressed Brick Company of St. Louis, who, through their Chicago agent, Mr. J. J. Lockwood, located at 109 Lake street, furnished the brick, have in it built a monument to their great industry in this city. And it is deserved, for since the great fire no other brick concern has furnished the material to so many of Chicago’s prominent buildings, and so great is the demand for the St. Louis pressed brick that enormous shipments are made to all parts of the United States, from Minnesota to Texas, while in Chicago there are beside the Montauk Block, some of the most extensive business blocks being inclosed in this incomparable material. St. Louis has thus materially aided in the up-building of our city, and in this great sample of what her best brickyard can produce she has an enduring monument to her industry in this her rival city. Mr. J. J. Lockwood, the genial agent of the company, has through his untiring zeal accomplished this thorough introduction of St. Louis brick and has been thoroughly identified in the great building contracts which have made the rebuilding of Chicago a wonder to civilization. It may be said in this connection that Mr. Lockwood is also agent for and deals largely in Baltimore, Philagielphia, Trenton. and all grades of first-class brick, both plain and ornamental, line specimens of which the reporter examined at his office
Blending in color with the brick work the architectural finish is made through a judicious use of terracotta cornice and other ornamentation. The Northwestern Terra-Cotta Works—True, Brunkhorst & Co.who—supplied this material, are supplying large quantities to almost every public building and private residence now in process of construction, and such is the popularity of terra-cotta and the possibility of molding it to harmonize with the general design that no building, whether of brick or stone, is considered perfect without a finish of this tasteful and harmonious material, of which the ornamentation of the Montauk Block is an excellent example.
No wood timbers are used, the girders and columns all being of iron of the best quality, and placed by the Union Foundry, who doing more than any otner concert) in the West of this character of work, can best supply the best pattern of ironwork for the purpose intended.
Much of the fireproof nature of the building is due to the hollow tile partitions placed by the Ottawa Tile Company. The owner of the building not only expresses himself as well pleased with their work, but the fact of this company’s popularity is attested by large contracts in this city and abroad. The company also placed a Keene’s cement base around the walls of the rooms and fireproofed the tank-rooms and ventilators On the roof, showing everywhere a capability for effective and creditable fireproof construction.
A noticeable feature of this building is the plumbing. Mr. E. Baggot, the well-known gas-fitter and plumber, who placed the plumbing, designed to make it not only most perfect in material, but healthful and easy of access. This was accomplished by placing all the pipes outside the walls, and not concealed, according to the usual method. This is certainly an improvement, and like the ventilation, also a part of Mr. Baggot’s work, is almost a sure guarantee for the perfect healthfulness of the offices. This new departure of Mr. Baggot in the plumbing line has called to itself mach public attention, and is generally, as it is most justly, commended.
The steam heating, like the plumbing is peculiar to this building, the pipes being wholly visible. They are run through Ere and sound proof bushings in the floors, and connect with tile radiators. Messrs. Hay & Prentice, who placed this work, say it is the best heated and safest from any accident from the pipes of any building in which their popular system of heating has been placed. The entire system of radiators can be worked with less than one pound pressure on the gauge, so perfect is their adjustment.
The steam is supplied by two tubular boilers, the construction of which is something superior. These, as well as the tanks upon the roof for supplying water to the elevator and for fire purposes. were constructed by the Chicago Steam Boiler Works.
In the centre of the building is a court containing the halls and stairways. This is well lighted by a Hays patent skylight placed by Kniesly Bros. & Miller.
The hall-floor tiling. as well as the ornamental tiling around the grates, in the offices and some handsome brass grates and other fireplace accessories, are the work of Henry Dibblee.
The owner of the building is specially pleased with the durability and fire-resisting properties of the vault doors, 69 in number, preferring them to all others after carefully examining other doors. S. H. Harris put them in, and on time, too.
Of course, none but Hale’s hydraulic elevators are used. These are two in number, especially designed for high buildings, and are the same as those used in similar buildings in New York.
The Tenants.
The Graceland Cemetery Company were found occupying pleasant offices upon the ninth floor. During an interesting interview with Mr. Bryan Lathrop, the company’s President, the reporter was impressed with the novelty of the surrounding view, these being the highest business-offices in the city. Mr. Lathrop spoke enthusiastically of the beauty of Graceland and the recent improvements there, as well as the extension of the ground to almost twice their former area. Besides the completeness of the accessories in the way of picturesque lakes, velvety lawns, a beautiful variety of trees and well-trimmed shrubbery, thorough underdrainage, etc., which make this one of the finest cemeteries in the West, there is a large and growing fund in the hands of Trustees, of which Mr. Jerome Beecher is the Treasurer, which insures the perpetual maintenance of the cemetery. As one-tenth of the gross receipts of the cemetery go into this fund, which is entirely out of the control of the cemetery company, it seems that here the people have a security for the future , which is beyond all question.
Room No. 2, which is the east half of the ground floor, fronting on Monroe street, is occupied by Mr. George H. Rozet, the well-known real-estate agent. They are convenient and well-arranged offices.
Room 15 is occupied by Mr. A. F. Nagle, civil engineer and general Western agent for the Grinnell automatic sprinkler.
The Northwestern Department of the Hartford Steam-Boiler Inspection & Insurance Company occupy offices upon the fourth floor. The company place insurance upon all kinds of steam-boilers and cover all loss or damage to boilers and machinery arising from explosions. The Chicago agency, under the able management of H. D. P. Biglow, is rapidly gaining a notable place among our large insurance companies, and ranks first of its kind in the country.
The west half of the fourth floor, fronting upon Monroe street, is occupied by a combination of insurance companies under the general direction of Mr. P. A. Montgomery. As Secretary and General Agent this gentleman represents the Western Manufacturers’ Insurance Company and the Mutual Underwriters’ Union. This combination numbers eight companies in all, and their quarters in the Montauk have been well arranged. adapted to the many needs of the company in the transaction of business.
Suite No. 25 is occupied by John W. Marsh, who for many years has been prominent in real-estate circles and in the negotiation of loans upon real estate. In these new quarters Mr. Marsh has every facility for the transaction of his increasing business.
E. C. Cole, the prominent real-estate agent, occupies Room 29.
Messrs. S. Leonard Boyce and Lewis L. Palmer have their law-offices at Room 33 in this building.
G. P. Randall, the architect, is located in room 44 upon the seventh floor. The suite is large, and commensurate with his business.
A very handsome suite of fine offices on the seventh floor is occupied by A. T. Andreas, the publisher of atlases, historical works, etc. Two of these offices will be set apart exclusively for the use of the force engaged upon his History of Chicago, which is to be in several volumes, and on which, Andreas will employ the best of talent. In fact, all important subjects will be written under the supervision of citizens of Chicago who have made certain local subjects their study.1
Suite number 47 is occupied by Messrs. H. S. & F. S. Osbourne, attorneys-at-law. It is one of the most elegant and completely arranged set of offices in the building having been especially arranged according to their instructions.
Messrs. Leonard Swett and Pliny N. Haskell, composing the law firm of Swett & Haskell, were found occupying a suite of finely-furnished offices upon the eighth floor. The offices are also occupied by Mr. Edward Swett.
The Montauk Building was the first major commercial building developed by the architectural firm of Burnham & Root. It was built o the site of the Chicago Museum.
Rand, McNally & Co.’s Bird’s Eye Views Guide to Chicago, 1890
⑧ The Montauk Building
At 115 Monroe Street, has a frontage of 90 feet and a depth of 180 feet. It is 130 feet high, in 10 stories, of steel construction, on heavy foundations, with thick walls. It has 150 offices, 300 occupants, and 2 passenger elevators. Erected in 1882, at a cost of $325,000; considered the first tall steel building (skyscraper) in Chicago. It has resisted two hot fires on its western wall. Here Burnham & Root, the architects, had their offices while they built the Rookery.
- Montauk Building
1882
John Taylor, Photographer
Chicago Tribune, June 20, 1902
The First National Bank has made peace with the last of the tailor tenants in the Montauk block, and the work of tearing down the building, to make way for the first section of the bank’s proposed policy $3,000,000 building, will be begun immediately. No definite date is set for the completion of the section occupied by the Montauk, but it is hoped to have it finished by May of next year, when the bank will move in and the work of tearing down its present building, at the corner of Dearborn and Madison, will be commenced. D. H. Burnham & Co., who have prepared all the plans, will hasten the work as much as possible.
The exterior of the new building will be of granite, the exact hue not having yet been decided upon, but it will either be of gray or yellow shade. Some of the contracts have already been awarded.
- Montauk Building
Robinson Fire Insurance Map
1886
From 1903-1965, the First National Bank Building occupied the site. In 1965, this was demolished to make way for First National Plaza (now called Chase Tower).
Journal of the Western Society of Engineers, October, 1904
When an engineer has made his computations and prepared the details for the foundation of a building, it may be said that the most important part of his labor has been accomplished. Before, how ever, the structural details of the foundation can be definitely determined, it becomes necessary to carefully and accurately compute
the weight units entering into the superstructure.
In no other city, perhaps, in America, has the question of foundation received so much careful consideration from engineers as right here in Chicago, on account of the nature of the sub-strata underlying the surface, upon which the weight of the structure must be proportionately distributed.
The necessity for a system of floor construction that was light and strong arose just about the time that the high building era set in, and the hollow tile method was adopted as soon as presented, in order to reduce as much as possible the superimposed load on the foundations of walls and columns.
About twenty-four years ago, the Montauk Block was erected on Monroe street, from plans prepared by D. H. Burnham & Company, architects of this city.
The foundations of this structure were rubble stone; the exterior walls of the building solid masonry, of varying thicknesses, as called for by the building ordinances then in force.
This building was nine stories in height, and was considered at the time a “skyscraper.” Within a very recent period, this structure has been razed to make place for an eighteen- story modern steel skyscraper for the First National Bank.
When the plans were drawn for the Montauk Block, a great many different systems of fireproof floor construction were considered, to wit Brick arches, corrugated iron arches, filled in with concrete; solid concrete arches; Lime of Teil blocks and hollow tile arches.
As this was the first nine-story structure ever built, and higher than any other business building in Chicago, the merits and demerits of the different systems were carefully considered, and hollow tile arches were accepted for the floors of this building, for the reason that by the use of tile arches, the required vertical and horizontal strength was secured at a minimum dead weight of floor construction. The tile arches in this building were what is known as side “construction” arches; the soffits of the beams being covered with i-inch slabs of fire clay tile.
The spans between the beams, as I remember them, were about 5 feet, 6 inches. The beams were about 9 inches in depth, framed into girders, supported at intervals on cast iron columns.
I refer to this building particularly as I believe this was the first high building that proved a financial success to its owners, thereby stimulating the erection of similar structures, which has culminated in the present up-to-date thirty-story steel skyscraper.
The standard of construction adopted in the Montauk Building, for floors, is practically the standard of floor construction now in most general use for the erection of fireproof buildings.
There have been most important improvements, both in the form and the method of laying the arches, and also in the methods of de signing and assembling the steel parts; but, to all intents and purposes, this general system of floor construction is to-day in force and effect, and is accepted by architects and engineers as “The Standard.”
There are in use at this date, throughout the United States, in various buildings, embracing every description, from private dwellings to wholesale warehouses, over 200,000,000 square feet of standard tile constructed floor, equivalent to an area of almost 5,000 acres of floor surface.
Notes:
1The first volume of Mr. A. T. Andreas’ History of Chicago from the Earliest Period to the Present Time has just issued from the press.—Chicago Tribune, March 1, 1884.
[…] Chicago Fire of 1871. There he designed some of the world’s first true skyscrapers, including the Montauk Building and the Masonic Temple Building. Burnham also designed the iconic Flatiron Building at Madison […]