Rice’s Building

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Rice’s Building
Life Span: 1859-1871
Location: NE corner of Dearborn and Court place, 75-81 Dearborn
Architect: Unknown

D. B. Cooke & Co.’s City Directory for the Year 1859

Wilson James J.

McNally & Co.

Halpin & Bailey’s City Directory for the Year 1863
Rice’s Buildings, 75, 77, 79 & 81 Dearborn st.
McNally Andrew, printer, h. e.s. Little Fort rd. nr. Wisconsin
McNally John & Co., books, periodicals, &c., 81 Dearborn
Rand William H., (Tribune Co.,) 51 Clark, h. 532 Wabash av.

Halpin’s Chicago City Directory for 1864
Rice’s Buildings, 75, 77, 79 & 81 Dearborn st.

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1866
Rice’s Block, 77 and 79 Dearborn
McNally & Co., (John McNally & ——————), books, stationery and newspapers, 81 S. Dearborn
Rand William H., (Tribune Co.,) 51 Clark, h. Oakland

John C. W. Bailey’s Chicago City Directory for 1867
Rice’s Buildings, 75-81 Dearborn st.

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1867
McNally & Co., (John McNally & ——————), books, stationery and newspapers, 81 S. Dearborn
Rand William H., (Tribune Co.,) 51 Clark, r. Lake av.

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1869
Rice’s Buildings, 75-81 Dearborn street.
Rand, McNally & Co. (William H. Rand, Andrew McNally, Henry M. Kidder, John Reid and George A. Poole), printers and stationers, 51 Clark

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1870
Rice’s Buildings—74-81 Dearborn st.
Rand, McNally & Co. (William H. Rand, A. McNally, Henry M. Kidder, John Reid and George A. Poole), printers and stationers, 49, 51 and 53 Clark

Edwards’ Annual Directory in the City of Chicago, for 1871
Rice’s Buildings—74-81 Dearborn st.

Western Railroad Gazette, May 1, 1858

McNally & Co., No. 78 Dearborn Street, still dispense news and newspapers, of all kinds and from all quarters of the world, to the great public of the great Northwest. The Atlantic Monthly, Harper, Knick, Porter’s Spirit (and we can’t begin to enumerate a fourth part of them) can all be found at his News Depot at the above place. McNally is prompt, energetic and polite, and we have never known a person in his business more popular, or more deservedly so.

Chicago Tribune, December 7, 1859

A warrant was also issued by Justice Akin for the arrest of the woman Hadway yesterday afternoon. The deceased was about eighteen years of age, has followed a life of infamy only two years. She was formerly from Rockford in this State, where it is said her parents reside. We do not know if either of the names she has borne here are her true ones. She was evidently possessed of extreme beauty, a fatal gift to woman when not strongly armed in principleHer career was a short one, and her life an early forfeit to her sin. The Dr. James J. Wilson implicated in this affair is a regular practicing physician, having an office in Rice’s Block, on Dearborn street, opposite the Post Office.

Chicago Tribune, November 25, 1863

THE 58TH REGIMENT.—Col. Lynch of the 58th Regiment Illinois Infantry has arrived in this city with a large recruiting party for hie regiment. The Head Quarters of the detachment will be at No 1, Rice’s Building on Dearborn between Randolph and Washington streets. Col. Lynch will also establish rendezvous at Aurora, Bloomiogton Springfield and Elgin, at all of which places gentlemanly officers and sergeants will gladly receive the patriotic into the service of Uncle 8am.

Orders have been issued to make this a mounted Infantry Regiment and it is expected that it will be armed with the the celebrated Spencer Rifle. This is a rare chance for persons desirous of giving their services to their country to join an old and tried Regiment.

Spencer Rifle.

Chicago Illustrated, January 1866

The Tremont House—The well-known hotel of that name is located at the south-east corner of Lake and Dearborn streets, fronting one hundred and eighty feet on Dearborn street. The view gives both of these fronts, and also of the buildings on the east side of Dearborn street, as far south as Madison street, including McCormick’s and Rice’s Buildings, the Masonic Temple, and Portland and Speed’s Blocks.

Chicago Tribune, July 14, 1868

A RETURN TO THE OLD ORDER OF THINGS.—No one thing is more universally necessary to all kinds of people, than writing paper and envelopes. Next to food, anything else can better be dispensed with. But stationery has of late been an expensive necessity thirty to fifty cents per quire for commercial note has long been the ruling price. We are pleased to state that the well-known stationers, McNally & Co., 81 Dearborn street, will sell from this date, the best commercial note at from 10 to 20 cents per quire, cap and letter paper from 20 to 30 cents, and envelopes, best quality, 10 to 15 cents per package. These were the old prices which gave this establishment so much reputation in times gone by. One of the largest stocks of paper-covered and cloth-bound novels in the city can be found there, which are being sold very cheap to make room for a new stock. Their counters are laden with new books just from the publishers.

Chicago Tribune, May 8, 1870

New Business Directory.
We are glad to announce that Messrs. Rand, McNally & Co are engaged in the compilation of a business directory of this city for the current year, and that it promises to be a great improvement from any previously issued. Rand, McNally & Co. Co. are well known as an enterprising and fully responsible firm, and their facilities are of the best. In this the public have a guarantee that whatever they undertake in the publishing line will be carried out to the letter. The business directory has become a standard publication in most of the large cities of the country, and is ought to be in this For business men it serves a purpose which the more cumbersome and expensive general directory does not. The labor of gathering information for this directory is now going on, and we bespeak for the canvassers the confidence and co-operation of the business public.

Chicago Tribune, September 24, 1871

The Old Dearborn School
The old Dearborn school building, of which so interesting a historical sketch was printed in The Tribune of yesterday morning, is at last being torn down, to make way for the splendid new business block to be erected by Messrs. Rand, McNally & Co. The new building will have 130 feet front on Madison street. It will be five stories high, and the front will be built of Cleveland brown stone. On the ground floor it will contain three stories, having frontages of 53 feet, 28 feet, and 51 feet respectively. These are to be finished in black walnut, and be in every respect such as will attract first-class retail trade in all such business as characterize Madison, State and Dearborn streets. On the second floor will be eighteen offices, suitable for all kinds of office business. The building will be furnished with elevators that will be accessible from each store, and in every other respect be one of the finest business blocks in the city. Messrs. Rand, McNally & Co. expect to have it ready for occupancy by April 1.

History of Chicago, A.T. Andreas, 1884

Rand, McNally & Co., the well-known printers, engravers, electrotvpers, and map and book publishers, take their origin from a printing establishment opened, in 1856, at No. 145 Lake Street, by William H. Rand, the senior member of the firm. Mr. Rand, in 1860, consolidated with the Tribune job department, at No 51 Clark Street, and assumed the superintendence. In this capacity he continued for eight years, when he and A. McNally, with others, formed a partnership, to establish a printing and publishing house under the firm name of Rand, McNally & Co. In 1873, the firm was incorporated as a stock company, with a capital of $200,000, under the same name, and has since assumed such large proportions, that it is now one of the largest printing houses in this country, with a surplus capital of over $300,000. October 9, 1871, when located at No. 51 Clark Street, the establishment was burned out, but business was resumed temporarily at No. 108 West Randolph Street, until 1873, when the company moved into their own quarters at Nos. 79 and 81 Madison Street. This building becoming too small, they erected a five and six story building, ninety by one hundred and ninety feet, at Nos. 148 to 152 Monroe Street, which the company has occupied since January, 1881. William II. Rand is president and treasurer, A. McNally is vice-president and general manager, and the superintendents of the various departments are as follows John Reid, ticket department ; T. C. Ilavnes, job work; R. A. Bower, map and atlas publications; James McNally, book publications and school maps; R. B. Marten, wood engraving; C. R. Williams, Bankers’ Directory, Bankers’ Monthly, and Business Directory John Ludwig, stationery and blank books. Among some of their celebrated publications may be mentioned the Atlas of the World, Business Atlas of the United States and Canada, large scale-map of the United States, Banker’s Directory, Lumbermen’s Guide, and a map of every country on the globe. The Rand-McNally Railway Guide is known and used the world over.

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