Ryerson Building

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Ryerson Building
Life Span: 1885-1939
Location: 45 to 49 Randolph, Randolph and State streets (16-20 Randolph)
Architect: Adler & Sullivan

Chicago Tribune, October 5, 1884

Contracts have been let by Architects Adler & Sullivan for the masonry and iron of the Martin Ryerson building, Randolph, east of State street, and work will be resumed March 1.

American Architect and Building News

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1887
Gray, Kingman & Collins (Moses W. Gray, Charles H. Kingman, William A. Collins and Franklin D. Gray) whol. grocers 45 to 49 Randolph

Chicago Tribune, May 2, 1886

GRAY, KINGMAN & COLLINS,
formerly Gray & Kingman the well-known wholesale grocers, who have been located at the east end of Lake street, have rented the entire Ryerson Block, Nos. 45 to 49 Randolph street. It is one of the finest business blocks yet completed in Chicago, its massive columns and architectural beauty standing out in bold relief. The firm are now fairly settled in their new quarters and doing business as usual.

Inter Ocean, May 2, 1886

RYERSON BUILDING.
A Model Business Block.
One of the most elegant commercial blocks In Chicago is just completed in the shape of the Ryerson Building, on the north side of Randolph street, midway between State street and Wabash avenue. It has a frontage of 75 feet, and consists of six lofty stories, The front is entirely of stone, iron, and glass, and is especially attractive, as well as a notable illustration of utility in architecture. It presents four massive supports in atone, and between these are slender cast iron windows filled with large plate-glass, and reaching from the bottom the second to the top of the fourth story. The highest story in treated as a handsome cornice for the entire front, the clusters of little pillars showing to fine advantage. The whole block is flooded with light from the great expanse of plate glass, and considering the central location, so readily reached from all sides of the city, there is no more favored business block in Chicago.

That the architecture of the building of the highest order is illustrated in the fact that as the New York Salmagundi Club’s recent exhibition of architecture a picture of this great office block was displayed conspicuously on the walls, and drew forth from experts nothing but applauding comments. It was designed by Architects Adler and Sullivan.

The fire-proofing of the building is all that could be desired, the celebrated Wight system of fire-proofing having been thoroughly applied, and with the invariably satisfactory results. The popularity of this system and its field of operations are constantly enlarging, as the absolute security afforded by it becomes more and more widely known. Thus it has been utilized in some of the most important construction work undertaken of late by the United States Government, while in our largest private buildings and wherever permanency is the aim it is equally in demand.

Messrs. Gray, Kingman & Collins, the well known wholesale grocers, have taken a lease of the entire building, and are now in possession, having removed from their former location, Nos. 3-13 Lake street, corner of Michigan avenue. The new store of the firm gives them the additional room demanded by their greatly enlarged business operations, and certainly such spacious, conveniently arranged, and brilliantly lighted quarters are not duplicated in any other mercantile building in Chicago. The steam-warming apparatus, steam pumps, etc, were supplied by the Hay & Prentice Company, Nos 34 and 36 South Canal street, the outfit representing well their superior workmanship, and popular system for public and private structures, The company’s work is in constant demand for our best buildings The plumbing contract was filled in the best manner by those well-known experts in their line, Messrs. Tipple & Coleman, No. 857 North Clark street, whose services are extensively called upon in the sanitation of our principal blocks and houses.

The painting contract was Alled by Rowe & Prosser, No. 510 State street, with the thoroughness and excellence characteristic of this long established and well-known firm. The prismatic lights of Dauchy & Co., No. 125 Indiana street, are used. Campbell Bros., of No. 110 East Ohio street, were the carpenters; and Barney & Rodatz, Lakeside Building, the masons.

Chicago Tribune, August 12, 1932

Martin A. Ryerson, noted for many years for his philanthropies and as an art collector, died last evening at 6:30 o’clock after an illness of several months. He was 75 years old. Funeral services will be held tomorrow morning at 11 o’clock in his Lake Geneva home, where he died. The burial will be private.

Mr. Ryerson was born in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Oct. 26, 1856, and came to Chicago as a youth. He was educated in the public schools here and abroad, returning to America to receive his degree from Harvard in 1878. He married Miss Carrie Hutchinson in 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Ryerson celebrated their golden wedding last year. She survives him.

Leader in Lumber Trade.
Mr. Ryerson was a leader in the lumber business, but retired many years ago. He was a director of many banks. He was noted for his interest in educational and charitable work. He was president of the board of trustees of the University of Chicago almost from its foundation until he resigned in 1922 after thirty years of service.

Mr. Ryerson was also an honorary president of the Art Institute of Chicago, vice president of the Field Museum of Natural History, trustee of the Carnegie institute, member of the Rockefeller foundation, and director of the Chicago Orphan asylum. He was a member of most of the leading Chicago clubs.

Mr. Ryerson clothed most of his charitable gifts in secrecy, but they were known to have totaled many hundreds of thousands of dollars. He donated a park and a public library to his home town of Grand Rapids. His collection of paintings, tapes- tries, and works of art was famous and he gave many valuable masterpieces to the Chicago Art institute. He made many donations to the Field museum, the last gift totaling $10,000 being given two years ago.

“Mr. Ryerson was one of the great art connoisseurs of the country,” said Dr. Robert B. Harshe, director of the Art institute, when informed of Mr. Ryerson’s death.

Four Galleries of Art.
The Ryerson collections at the Art institute consist of four galleries of notable works, Dr. Harshe said. The most famous painting of the collection is Rembrandt’s “Girl at the Open Half Door,” one of the painter’s best known masterpieces.

One gallery contains impressionistic works by Renoir and Monet. Another contains a group of later French paintings, including a number by Cezanne and Gauguin. A third gallery, contains 17th and 18th century Italian and Dutch paintings, including two famous paintings by Tiepolo. and the fourth gallery “an extremely notable group,” according to Dr. Harshe, of 13th, 14th, and 15th century primitives by Menling, Van der Weyden and others.

In Many Fields.
Mr. Ryerson was a collector in a great many fields,” said the director. “He donated textiles, Japanese pottery and many examples of the decorative arts to the institute.” Mr. Ryerson owned some of the rarest and oldest tapestries in this country. Two 16th century specimens in his collection were valued at $50,000 apiece.

Mr. Ryerson’s only living relative, in addition to the widow, is a niece who lives in Lausanne, Switzerland..

Chicago Tribune, February 29, 1948

Group Buys Building From Ryerson Estate The five story building at 15-19 S. Wabash av., 53½ by 171 feet, was sold for $530,000 cash by the Martin A. Ryerson estate to Russell Tyson, Graham Aldis, Theodore L. storer, and Joseph Lund. trustees under the Wabash Av. Real Estate Agreement. Aldis & Co. was broker for the buyers.

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