Printers’ Building

Printers Building, West Virginia Pulp and Paper Building, Polk Street Station Lofts
Life Span: 1908-Present
Location: 732 S. Sherman (Financial Place), NW corner of Sherman and Polk streets
Architect: H. B. Wheelock

Chicago Tribune, August 2, 1908

James A. Patten’s Sherman Street Deals Enliven Market.
An otherwise exceedingly dull market last week, so far as surface indications are concerned. was made one of much interest by the purchases of James A. Patten, the board of trade man, at the northwest corner of Sherman and Polk streets.

Mr. Patten’s operations are of much interest for several reasons, but particularly because they indicate clearly that his previous extensive operations in real estate, and mostly in this neighborhood, have proved eminently satisfactory, and for this reason they should serve as a shining object lesson to other local capitalists who heretofore have been slow to look upon this fleld of investment with a favorable eye.

They also present another exceedingly interesting aspect in that they, in connection with his other purchases, have been along the lines of development work, a fascinating as well as profitable field for those who have the judgment, courage, as well as means properly to undertake this kind of work.

Mr. Patten possesses all these qualities in an eminent degree, and a local real estate periodical pertinently says that “a half dozen men of Mr. Patten’s foresight and with the same courage of conviction which he has displayed in his real estate investments would make materially for the advancement of values of Chicago real estate. The same opportunities in other sections of the business district lle at the hands of other courageous investors.”

Pioneering by Patten.
Mr. Patten went into Sherman street six years ago, when surface indications were anything but promising to the investor. It was a dirty, ill kept thoroughfare with old frame improvements of most unattractive appearance, but Mr. Patten’s operations have converted it into a first class business street with high class modern bulldings, whose full occupancy by a superior class of concerns has fully justifled his judgment as to the inherent possibilities of the street.

It was pioneering as well as constructive work of a high class, this converting a shabby, neglected street into a high class merchandising as well as revenue producing district, and it is to be hoped, in view of the satisfactory results which have waited upon his operations here, that he will extend his labors into other districts which are only waiting the quickening touch of such strong, energetic hands to yield equally good results.

As it is now, Mr. Patten has acquired 633 feet of frontage along Sherman street, between Van Burn and Polk streets, all of which has been improved with high class, modern buildings or will be when his last purchase has been improved, and undoubtedly comprise the finest and largest group of buildings devoted exclusively to the printing business to be found under one ownership in this country.

New Building Sets Record.
His proposed new building will be the largest single bulling devoted to the printing business in the country and will front 210 feet on Sherman, with a depth of 106 feet on Polk street. It will be eight stories and basement, of extra heavy mill construction and will cost from $275,000 to $300,000. Each floor will contain over 21,000 square feet in the clear. and the eight floors and basement will provide a floor area of 189,000 square feet, or 4.3 acres. It is planned to have it ready for occupancy by Jan. 1 or Feb. 1 of next year.

The building will be in charge of Oliver & Co., who represented Mr. Patten in the negotiations for the acquirement of the land, and who also have charge of his several other buildings in that vicinity.

The ground acquired comprises 100×106 feet at the corner of Polk street, which was purchased from John B. Adams, and 110×108 feet adjoining on the north, which was purchased from the Catholic bishop of Chicago, Cremin & O’Connor representing the latter, the consideration for the two holdings approximating $200,000. The Adams property has old brick improvements of no value, while the other piece is vacant. The former was valued by the board of review at $82,225, and the latter at $89.650.

Inter Ocean, August 19, 1908

Printers’ Building Is Planned.
Record has been made of a conveyance from the Catholic Bishop of Chicago to James A. Patten of the property on Sherman street north of Polk street of which an account was published some weeks ago. Preparations for the erection of a mammoth building for printers exclusively have already been commenced.

Architectural Record, March, 1910

A very recently constructed building of great size is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This also was built for a printers’ building and is so named, but it was erected as an investment, to be rented out, with power, to printers only. The Architect is Harry B. Wheelock. The material of the first story is stone. Above it is of red pressed brick, and buff enameled terra cotta. The relative values of these materials in a color composition are best seen in Fig. 4, which is the main entrance. It has been impossible to obtain a representative photograph of the entire building, because the relation of the color of the brick to the enameled terra cotta is so much changed, the brick coming out too dark and the terra cotta too light in the print. This extreme contrast is also exaggerated by the use of a larger proportion of brick in facing the four angles of the building. There is absolutely no decoration on the exterior and straight lines have been used everywhere. The location is on Fifth avenue and Polk street, just outside of what was until now the limit of the wholesale district and near two large railway stations. It is of heavy mill construction interiorly and built to the limit of height allowed by the ordinances for a building of that character.

Chicago Tribune, February 12, 1911

An interesting transaction in the central district closed during the day was the lease by Oliver & Co. for James A. Patten to the West Virginia Pulp and Paper company of the south half of the store or first floor of the new Printers’ building at the northwest corner of Polk and Sherman streets at a reported term rent of $100.000.

The building has a frontage of 210 feet and contains over over 20,000 square feet on each floor. The paper company will occupy the premises as a retail store and carry a large stock of paper to be sold in less than car lot quantities. This is a departure from the lines on which the large corporation has heretofore done business in Chicago. The offices of the concern, which now are in the Marquette building, also will be located in the Patten buildIng.

Chicago Tribune, June 21, 1996

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