chicagology

  • Contents
  • About
  • Guest Book
  • Bibliography
  • Contact
  • Legal
  • Site Map

Major Block II


< --Previous  Up  Next–>


Major Block II, Roanoke Building I
Life Span: 1872-1914
Location: SE Corner W. Madison and LaSalle Streets
Architect: Dixon & Hamilton


Chicago Tribune, October 9, 1872

poster LA SALLE AND MADISON STREETS, where the Gallup & Hitchcock Building and Major Block are rivals, if not in design, at least in position. Both of the buildings are in the somewhat gloomy, but rich and handsome, Buena Vista stone, and are good types of the class of buildings which we have noticed above. The former is very elaborate, and the Chicagoan who remembers the building formerly occupying the site will scarcely regret the Old Chicago.


major

Major Block II


This building fronted 136 feet on LaSalle and 66 feet on Madison. It was seven stories high, with one basement, on spread foundations. This was one of the first buildings to be rebuilt after the Fire of 1871. It’s name was changed to Roanoke.

From June 8, 1873 to January 1, 1887 the original Roanoke building served as the Chicago location for the National Weather Service Weather Forecast official climate site. The building is mentioned in Saul Bellow’s More Die of Heartbreak but there it is referred to as a wealthy residence building and not as an office building


major
Roanoke Building
At the right is the Y.M.C.A. Building which was built in 1893


major
Major Block II
Robinson Map 1886
Volume 1, Plate 7


Major Block I


Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Chicagology created March 17, 2003 · Copyright © 2021 · Enterprise Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in