Chicago Tribune, January 6, 1862
The New Buildings of 1861.
Reports from the Architects.
Below we present our customary annual exhibit of the building improvements in Chicago during the year 1861, and the amounts expended, as derived from the reports of architects whose names are appended below. We egret that our statement is not entirely complete. The war has had a marked effect upon building improvements, and architects complain that never, since their location here, has business been so dull. On this account a portion of them have declined furnishing statements, but sufficient are set forth to give the public an approximate idea of the immensity of puhlic and private improvements, even in war times.
During the year several structures have been reared, which are not only ornaments to the city and monuments to the public spirit of their owners and the skills of their architects, but may safeky challenge comparison. Without running the risk of partiality, we may single out the Sherman House, which has been finished during the past year. This splendid structure has provoked the admiration, not alone of our citizens, but also of strangers,—accustomed to palatial hotels, and good judges of architectural effect. We should also do injustice to the architectural beauty of the city, if we omitted to particularize the block of three stores of Messrs. Wadsworth & Keep, which is now complete and partly occupied. It is without doubt one of the best blocks of wholesale stores in the city, containing as it does, two stores of Messrs. Keep, each 26×135 feet, with high basements, enclosed and lighted by Hyatt’s patent illuminating tiles, and supplied with Johnson’s patent rolling shutters, for store fronts above. Mr. Wadsworth’s store is 40×140 feet, fronting on Lake street and Wabash avenue. Two of the stories, the first and second, are self-supporting. The floors are free from columns, which gives them a finish superior to any in the city or State. The basement is a high story enclosed and lighted by tiles on both streets and in the rear, which gives a room in the basement, 162×65 feet wide. This takes in the entire surface under the sidewalks, and makes most complete and commodious salesrooms. The store fronts are closed by Letz’s patent rolling shutters, a very superior article, patented by George Letz of this city. This is the first block in which they have been used.
The illuminating tile is also of home manu-facture, put up in the most perfect manner by Messrs. Brown Bros. 114 Dearborn street.
The block is in the French style of archi-tecture, finished so as to make it very effect-ive, while it is quite chaste in its detail.
Below we give the reports from marious of the lending architects of the city, stating amount and class of work done by them not alone in the city and in the State, but in other States. It is a noticeable fact that many of the most responsible and costly building contracts in the western country have been awarded to Chicago architects.
W. W. Boyington, Office 82 Dearborn Street.
The Sherman House, corner of Clark and Randolph streets: six stories and basement, marble front and brick walls, for Hon. F. C. Sherman. Cost $200,000; expended in 1861, $100.000.
The New York House, Randolph near Franklin street; four stories high; remodelled, for E. S. Wadsworth. Cost $4,000.
Block of two stores, on South Water street; four stories high, of pressed brick for Tuthill King and Philo Carpenter. Cost $8,000.
Block of two stores. on Lake street: four stories high, of pressed brick, for Stiles Barton. Cost $7.000.
Block of three stores, corner of Lake and State streets, four stories high, of pressed brick, for O. Stone, Cost $10,000.
Block of two stores. raised on Dearborn street marble front, four stories high, for Walter & Rogers. Cist $5,000.
Block of two stores, raised on Dearborn street, four stories high, of pressed brick, for Hon. I.N. Arnold, Cost $2,000.
Block of two stores and office, corner of Dearborn and Madison, two stories high, of presses brick, for Van Fleet & Co. Cost $1,000.
Block of two stores, corner of Lake street and Wabash avenue, marble front, five stories high, for Henry and Albert Keep. Cost $24,000.
Store corner of Lake street and Wabash avenue, five stories high—marble front; for E.S. Wadsworth. Cost $6,000.
Livery stabie on State street, two stories high—brick; for E. E. Boyington. Cost $2,000.
Barn on State street, two stories high—brick; for City Railway Co. Cost $3,000
Dwelling, Wabash avenue, three stories high and basement, 25×60—marble front; for William H. Mallory. Cost $5,000. Expended in 1861. $4,000.
Dwelling, Wabash avenue, two stories and cellar—frame, 25×55; for Warren C. Mason. Cost $2,500.
In audition to the foregoing list, Nr. Boyington has been engaged in preparing designs and plate for a large eating house at Elkhart, Indians, for the Michigan Southern & Northern Indiana Railroad Company, and superintended its erection at a cost of $5,000. Also designs for a first-class church edifice, to be built at Dayton, Ohio, at a cost of $20,000. and the superintendence of the erection of the Illinois State Penitentiary at Joliet, at a cost of $150,000, expended in 1861.
O. L. Wheelock, Office, No. 77 Dearborn Street.
A first class dwelling house and barn, for L. Newberry. Esq., at Cottage Grove. Cost $10,000.
Repairs for L. Newberry & Co., on grain elevator on North Side; size 80×150 feet, containing 88 bins, each 10×13 feet and capable of storing 860.000 bushels. Cost $20,000.
Repairs upon Ross & Co.s’ store, Lake street, cost $4,000.
A large share of Mr. Wheeleck’s business has been out of the city. During the year he has constructed a first class residence at Niles, Mich., for
J. S. Tuttle, at a cost of $12,000; an elegant residence at St. Paul. Minn., for the well known stage man. J. C. Burbank, at a cost of. $14,000: a Sherif’s house and County Jail at Joliet, costing $15,000: a grain elevator on the C. B. & Q. R. R.. for L. D. Wilson, costing $6,000: a residence in Michigan for A. DeBelley, costing $1,000, and two at Freeport and Lockport, costing $4,500: and a college in Indiana costing $56,000. Besides these, the State Penitentiary at Joliet, under the supervision of Messrs. Boyington & Wheelock, has expended $150.000 during the past year.
T. V. Wadskier, Office 119 Dearborn Street.
Trinity Church, on Jackson street between Wabash and Michigan avenues. Style of architecture. the Byzantine. Front and towers built of Athens marble; church lighted from the ceiling through stained glass windows; contains sittings for 1,300 persons: size of audience-room 65 br 96 feet exclusive of chapel, which is 15 by 25 feet; chapel contains three large windows, filled in with stained class of a rich and emblematic design; whole size of building on the ground 72 by 150 feet. Building commenced in August, 1860, and finished in June, 1861. Whole cost of building including furniture, $34,000.
G. P. Randall’s Office, 20 Portland Block.
Haven School House, Wabash Avenue; cost ?16.000?
Branch of Scammon School, on Madison street; cost $2,000.
J. M. Van Osdel, No. 8 Masonic Temple.
Owing to the temporary absence of Mr. Van Oedel from the city. we have only been able to ou-tain a partial exhibit of the work done by him during the past year, and precent it as an incomplete statement:
Block of stores on South Water street near Dearborn, pressed brick, four stories, for Geo. Smith. Cost $30,000.
Tremont House and adjoining stores, raised and improved. Cost $100,000.
Stores on Dearborn street adjoining American Express Co.’s office, raised. Cost $5,000.
McCord’s stores on Lake street, raised and improved. Cost $4.00n.
Dwelling house for Fred Tuttle, on Michigan avenue near Adams street, marble front. Coat $18.000.
House corner of Twelfth and May streets for Father Damen. Cost $6,000
L.P.C. Freers bullding on Randolph street; estimated cost $20,000.
Comparatively speaking, few large buildings have been created during the past senson, and in the statement above, many of the amounts are payments made during the year upon buildings commenced in 1860 and finished in
1861. Much of the building work has been confined to small residences, with which architects have little or nothing to do. The exhibit, however, in spite of the war, shows a valuable public improvement.
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