1871 Building Directory | Pre-Fire Gallery | Chicago Illustrated |
Buildings erected before 1871 were products of the brick mason and carpenter. The architects at the time were there merely for embellishment of the building.
The Pre-Fire Gallery below is the largest on-line collection of Pre-Chicago Fire images in the world.
A.M.N. Express Office, NW corner Dearborn and Lake
Academy of Design, Adams, between State and Dearborn.
Academy of Music, Washington, between Clark and Dearborn
Adam’s House I, NW corner Lake and Michigan
Aetna Building. LaSalle, between Madison and Washington
A. H. Miller’s building, corner State and Madison.
Aiken’s Museum, 115-117 Dearborn
Andrew’s building, La Salle, between Madison and Monroe.
Andrews & Otis’s building, Clark, bet. Monroe and Adams.
Arcade Building, Clark, between Madison and Monroe
Armory Police Court, SW corner Franklin and Adams
Armour Building I, NE corner. Michigan ave. and Randolph st.
Artesian Wells
Barnes House, corner Randolph and Canal
Berlin Block, corner State and Madison
Bigelow Hotel, SW corner Adams and Dearborn
Blake’s building, Washington, bet. Fifth avenue and Fraklin.
E. W. Blatchford & Chicago Shot Tower Co.
Bookseller’s Row , State, between Washington and Madison
Boone block, La Salle, between Washington and Madison.
Bowen Block
Bowen’s Building, Randolph, bet. Michigan and Wabash ave.
Bradner Smith, South Water, between Dearborn and Clark
Mr. Brand’s Temple of Art
Brigg’s House, NE corner Wells and Randolph – Not Destroyed
Bryan block, corner La Salle and Monroe.
Bull’s Head Tavern, West Madison street, Ogden avenue, and Ashland avenue.
Burch’s House, NE corner Lake and Wabash
Calhoun block, Clark, between Washington and Madison.
Carbutt’s Photography Studios
Central Block, NE corner Market and Washington
Central House.
Chamber of Commerce I , SE corner LaSalle and Washington
Charles Tobey Furniture
Chicago Crib
Chicago Historical Society I, SE corner N. Dearborn & Ontario
Chicago Central High School
Chicago Clearing House Association, 82 Dearborn street.
Chicago Mutual Life Insurance building, Fifth avenue, between Washington and Randolph.
Chicago Orphan Asylum
Chicago Shot Tower Co.
Chicago Times building, Dearborn, between Washington and Madison.
Chicago City Water Works, corner Chicago avenue and Pine.
Chicago Tribune Building I SE corner Dearborn and Madison
Church, Goodman & Donnelley
City Hotel, SE corner State and Lake
City National Bank, 156 Washington street.
City Water Works, corner Chicago and Pine
Clarenden House, corner North Clark and Ontario
Cleveland House, corner Clark and Kinzie
Clifton House, SE corner Madison and Wabash
Coan & Ten Broeke Carriage, Northwest corner of Randolph and Ann streets
Cobb’s Block, corner Lake and Wabash avenue.
Cobb’s block, Washington, between Clark and Dearborn.
Cobb’s Building, Dearborn, bet. Washington and Madison.
Commercial Building, corner La Salle and Lake.
Commercial Loan Company, 44 North Clark street.
Commercial Insurance Company’s Building, Washington, between La Salle and Fifth avenue.
Courthouse I, SE corner of Lake and Clark streets,
Courthouse II NE corner of LaSalle and Randolph Streets.
Courthouse III State street, between Randolph and Lake streets
Courthouse IV Randolph and Washington, between Clark and LaSalle
Crane Brothers Manufacturing Co.,
Crosby’s Building, State, bet. Randolph and Washington.
Crosby Opera House , Washington, between Dearborn and State
Culver, Page & Hoyne Building
Custom House, NW corner Dearborn and Monroe
Dearborn Park
Dearborn School No. 1
Dearborn Street Theatre
De Haven Block, Dearborn, between Quincy and Jackson.
Depository Building, Randolph, bet. Clark and La Salle.
Dickey’s Building, corner Dearborn and Lake.
Dole’s Building, corner Clark and South Water.
Drake and Farwell Block, corner Wabash and Washington
John H. Dunham Mansion
European Hotel, SW corner State and Lake
Evening Post, Dearborn, between Washington and Madison
Everett House
Ewing block, North Clark, bet. North Water and Kinzie.
Exchange Bank, corner Lake and Clark.
Farwell Hall, Madison, near SW corner Clark
J. V. Farwell & Co. I, 42, 44, 46 Wabash
J. V. Farwell & Co. Building, 112-16 Wabash
Field, Leiter & Co. I, NE corner State and Washington
Fifth National Bank, northeast corner Clark and Dearborn.
First Baptist Church, SE corner Washington and LaSalle
First & Second Baptist Churches
First National Bank I, SW corner State and Washington
First National Bank II, SW corner State and Washington
First National Bank of Chicago I (Exchange Bank), SW Corner Lake and Clark
Fisk Building
Flander’s Block, foot South Water
Fourth National Bank, southeast corner Dearborn and Washington streets.
Fry’s Building, La Salle, bet. Washington and Randolph.
Fullerton’s Block, corner Washington and Dearborn.
Galena Division Depot of the C&NW Railway
Gallup building, corner La Salle and Madison.
Gambler’s Row
Gault House
Garrett block, corner Randolph and State.
German Haus
Grace Methodist Church
Grand Pacific Hotel I, corner Clark and Quincy.
Great Central Depot
Green Tree Tavern, Northeast Corner of Lake and Canal Streets, moved to Southeast Corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Fulton Street in the fall of 1880.
Hartford Fire Insurance building, La Salle, between Randolph and Lake.
Haven School
Henry B. Clarke House
Hesler Panorama
Hooley’s Opera House
Holt’s building, Washington, bet. La Salle and Fifth ave.
Honoré Block I, Dearborn, between Monroe and Adams
Illinois Central Depot
Illinois Central Land Department building, Michigan avenue, between Lake and South Water.
Iron Block, Lake, between Wabash and Michigan
Keep’s Building, Clark, between Madison and Monroe.
Kendall Block II
Kent’s Building, No. 153 Monroe.
King’s Block, NW corner Washington and Dearborn
King’s Opera House
Lake House
Lakeside Building, corner Adams and Clark.
Larmon Block, NE corner Clark and Washington
LaSalle Street Tunnel
LaSalle and Randolph Streets
Lincoln block, corner Lake and Franklin.
Lind’s Block, corners Randolph and Lake and Market
Link’s Block, corner La Salle and Lake.
Lloyd’s Block, corner Randolph and Fifth avenue.
Lombard Block, corner Monroe and Custom House place,
between Clark and Dearborn.
Loomis Block, corner Clark and South Water.
Lumberman’s Exchange, corner South Water and Franklin.
Lumberyard
Major Block I
Mackin’s building, State, between Madison and Monroe.
Magie’s building, corner La Salle and Randolph.
Mahlon D. Ogden’s Home, Dearborn, between Oak and Whitney – Not Destroyed
Major Block I, SE corner LaSalle and Madison
Marine Bank Building, NE corner Lake and LaSalle
Marine Hospital
Massasoit House, SW corner South Water and Central
Matteson House, NW corner Dearborn and Randolph
McCarthy Building
McCarthy’s Building, corner Dearborn and Washington.
McCarthy’s Building, corner Clark and Randolph.
McCormick Block
McCormick’s Block, corner Dearborn and Randolph.
McCormick’s Building, corner Michigan and Lake
McKee’s building, corner Wabash ave. and Randolph.
McVicker’s Theatre I, Madison, between State and Dearborn
Mechanics’ Building, Washington, bet. La Salle and Fifth ave.
Mercantile Building, La Salle, bet. Madison and Washington.
Merchants’, Farmers Savings Bank
Merchant’s Insurance building, NW corner of LaSalle and Washington Streets
Methodist Church block, corner Clark and Washington.
Metropolitan Hall 1, SW corner LaSalle and Randolph
Metropolitan Hotel, SW corner Randolph and Wells
Michigan Southern Depot , SW corner LaSalle and VanBuren
Milwaukee and Canal Streets
Monroe Building, corner Clark and Monroe.
Morrison Block I, SE corner of Madison and Clark
Morrison Block, Clark, between Madison and Monroe.
Morrison building, Clark, between Madison and Washington.
Mosher Gallery
Newbury block, corner Wells and Kinzie.
Nixon Building, NE corner LaSalle and Monroe – Not Destroyed
Nixon’s Exchange, SW corner Clark and Washington
Nicolson Pavement
Norton Block, Nos. 136 and 138 South Water.
North’s Amphitheater, Monroe, near Wells
Ogden Hotel, Quincy and Jackson, between Clark and LaSalle
Old Board of Trade buildings, South Water, between La Salle and Fifth ave.
Olympic Theatre
Open Board building, Madison, bet. Clark and La Salle.
Orient House
Oriental Building, La Salle, bet. Washington and Madison.
Otis Block, corner Madison and La Salle.
Otis Building, corner State and Madison.
Palmer House I, NE corner Wabash and Quincy
Pardee’s building, corner South Water and Fifth ave.
Phoenix Building, La Salle, bet. Randolph and Washington.
Pomeroy’s building, No. 160 South Water.
Pope’s block, Madison, between Clark and La Salle.
Portland’s Block I, SE corner Dearborn and Washington
Post Office Building, Dearborn, between Madison and Monroe
Potter Palmer’s Dry Goods Store
Prairie Farmer Building, Monroe, between, Dearborn and Clark.
Purple’s block, corner North Clark and Ontario.
Raymond block, corner State and Madison.
Republic Life Building I, La Salle, between Madison and Monroe.
Revere House, NE corner Kinzie and Clark
Reynolds’ Block, SW corner Dearborn and Madison
Rice’s Building, 74 to 81 Dearborn.
Rice Theatres I and II
Richmond House, NW corner South Water and Michigan
Robbins Building I, N205 & 207 South Water Street
Scammon’s Building, corner Randolph and Michigan ave.
Scammon School, Madison Between Hasted and Desplaines
Second Presbyterian Church
Shepard’s Block I, SE corner Dearborn and Monroe
Sherman House II NW corner Clark and Randolph
Shreve Building, Washington, between Dearborn and Clark
Smith & Nixon’s Block, corner Clark and Washington.
Soldiers Home
Southern Hotel, NW corner 22nd and Wabash – Not Burned
Speed’s Block, Dearborn. between Washington and Madison
Staats Zeitung building, Madison, bet. Dearborn and Clark.
Stanton & Co.
Steam’s building, Washington, bet. La Salle and Fifth ave.
Steel’s block, corner La Salle and and South Water.
Stearn’s Building, Washington, between LaSalle and Fifth Avenue
St Ignatius College Prep
St. James Hotel, NW corner State and Washington
Stone’s Building, Madison, between Clark and La Salle.
Taylor’s block, corner Franklin and South Water.
Terrace Row, Michigan, between Congress and Van Buren
Transit House
Tremont House III
Trinity Church
Turner’s Building, corner North State and Kinzie.
Turner Hall, Clark, between Chicago and Pine
Two-Mile Crib
Tyler block, La Salle, between Lake and South Water.
Ublic block, North Clark, between Kinzie and Water.
Union Building, SW corner LaSalle and Washington
Union Depot
Union Stockyards
University of Chicago
U.S. Express Office, NW corner Lake and Clark
U.S. Marine Hospitals, 4141 N Clarendon
Yolk’s Building, 197 Washington.
Wabash Ave Methodist Church
Wabash Ice Rink
Walker’s block, Dearborn, between Lake and Randolph.
John R. Walsh’s News Depot, SW corner of Madison and Dearborn Streets
Warner’s Block, 123 and 125 Randolph.
Washington’s Block, Clark, bet. Washington and Madison.
Washington Street Tunnel
Wheeler’s Block, corner Clark and South Water.
Wicker’s building, corner State and South Water.
Wright Brother’s building, corner North State and Kinzie.
Prominent Chicago Pre-Fire Events
1828—Chicago’s First Wedding
1830—Chicago as a Hunting Post
1847-1850—Chicago’s First Daguerreotypists
1855—Raising of Chicago
1857—The Chicago Magazine – A six-issue publication about Chicago.
1858—Lincoln-Douglas Debates
1861—Whitefield’s Views of Chicago
1865—Lincoln Funeral
1866—Chicago Illustrated
1867—Guide for Travelers to Chicago
1868—Chicago
Pages to be Reassigned
TBD (Elevators to be Moved)
Lake Street (To Be Moved)
TBD-prefire123
Chicago in 1870
From the top of the Court House