Montgomery Ward Company Complex
Encyclopedia
The Montgomery Ward Company Complex previously served as the national headquarters for the country's oldest mail order firm, Montgomery Ward
. The property is located along the North Branch of the Chicago River
at 618 W. Chicago Avenue in Near North Side
, Chicago
, Illinois
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
and as a National Historic Landmark
on June 2, 1978.
The 400000 square feet (37,161.2 m²), eight-story Administration Building served as the company's headquarters until 1974, and features sword
and torch
motifs on the base and vertical piers that rise uninterrupted until culminiating in a parapet with motifs similar to the base. A four-story tower was added in 1929 on the northeast corner of the building, with a pyramid roof crowned with a 22.5 feet (6.9 m) bronze statue that originally topped the former Montgomery Ward Building on Michigan Avenue
. An adaption of an earlier sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens that had topped both Madison Square Garden
in New York and the Agriculture Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the statue is called the Spirit of Progress, and depicts a woman dressed in flowing robes balancing on a globe and holding a torch in and a staff.
Forty feet north of the Administration Building is the 2000000 square feet (185,806.1 m²) Mail Order House, also known as the Catalog House, that was the heart of Montgomery Ward's operations. Completed in 1908, the eight-story building was painted white and capped with a flat roof, with an interior that contained miles of chutes, conveyors, and storage lofts within ceiling heights ranging from 12 to 17 feet (5.2 m). The west facade, following a bend in the river, is almost 1100 feet (335.3 m) long and a single floor covers 6 acres (24,281.2 m²). At one time the building had its own post office branch as well as a ground-floor shipping platform that could accommodate 24 railroad freight cars. The Catalog House was designated a Chicago Landmark
on May 17, 2000.
In later years, Montgomery Ward and Company added several warehouses and parking ramps, followed by a 26-story office building in 1972, designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki
, who also designed the former World Trade Center
towers in New York City
.
This building is now home to popular restaurants Japonais and Kitch'n, the Big Ten Network, Wrigley, David Barton Gym, Allyu Spa, Groupon
, Kingsbury Yacht Club boat slips, Dyson
Inc., and 298 luxury condominiums.
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
. The property is located along the North Branch of the Chicago River
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of the same name, including its center . Though not especially long, the river is notable for being the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and...
at 618 W. Chicago Avenue in Near North Side
Near North Side, Chicago
The Near North Side is one of 77 well-defined community areas of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is located north and east of the Chicago River, just north of the central business district . To its east is Lake Michigan and its northern boundary is the 19th-century city limit of Chicago,...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and as a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
on June 2, 1978.
History
The two earliest buildings, the old Administration Building and the Mail Order House, are constructed of reinforced concrete and were designed by Richard E. Schmidt and Hugh Garden, members of the architectural firm of Schimdt, Garden, and Martin.The 400000 square feet (37,161.2 m²), eight-story Administration Building served as the company's headquarters until 1974, and features sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
and torch
Torch
A torch is a fire source, usually a rod-shaped piece of wood with a rag soaked in pitch and/or some other flammable material wrapped around one end. Torches were often supported in sconces by brackets high up on walls, to throw light over corridors in stone structures such as castles or crypts...
motifs on the base and vertical piers that rise uninterrupted until culminiating in a parapet with motifs similar to the base. A four-story tower was added in 1929 on the northeast corner of the building, with a pyramid roof crowned with a 22.5 feet (6.9 m) bronze statue that originally topped the former Montgomery Ward Building on Michigan Avenue
Michigan Avenue (Chicago)
Michigan Avenue is a major north-south street in Chicago which runs at 100 east south of the Chicago River and at 132 East north of the river from 12628 south to 950 north in the Chicago street address system...
. An adaption of an earlier sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens that had topped both Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York and the Agriculture Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, the statue is called the Spirit of Progress, and depicts a woman dressed in flowing robes balancing on a globe and holding a torch in and a staff.
Forty feet north of the Administration Building is the 2000000 square feet (185,806.1 m²) Mail Order House, also known as the Catalog House, that was the heart of Montgomery Ward's operations. Completed in 1908, the eight-story building was painted white and capped with a flat roof, with an interior that contained miles of chutes, conveyors, and storage lofts within ceiling heights ranging from 12 to 17 feet (5.2 m). The west facade, following a bend in the river, is almost 1100 feet (335.3 m) long and a single floor covers 6 acres (24,281.2 m²). At one time the building had its own post office branch as well as a ground-floor shipping platform that could accommodate 24 railroad freight cars. The Catalog House was designated a Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark is a designation of the Mayor of Chicago and the Chicago City Council for historic buildings and other sites in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, architectural, artistic, cultural,...
on May 17, 2000.
In later years, Montgomery Ward and Company added several warehouses and parking ramps, followed by a 26-story office building in 1972, designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki
Minoru Yamasaki
was a Japanese-American architect, best known for his design of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, buildings 1 and 2. Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century...
, who also designed the former World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
towers in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Currently
After the bankruptcy of Montgomery Ward in 2001, the earliest buildings were converted into upscale condominiums. The project met the Secretary of the Interior's Standards with the exception of the balconies. In 2004, the office tower also was converted to condominiums.This building is now home to popular restaurants Japonais and Kitch'n, the Big Ten Network, Wrigley, David Barton Gym, Allyu Spa, Groupon
Groupon
Groupon is a deal-of-the-day website that features discounted gift certificates usable at local or national companies. Groupon was launched in November 2008, the first market for Groupon was Chicago, followed soon thereafter by Boston, New York City, and Toronto...
, Kingsbury Yacht Club boat slips, Dyson
Dyson
-People:*Andre Dyson , an American football player*Charles W. Dyson , a U.S. Navy rear admiral*Esther Dyson , consultant and philosopher in emerging digital technology, the daughter of Freeman Dyson...
Inc., and 298 luxury condominiums.