The Motor Row District is a historic district

Historic district (United States)

In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...

 in Chicago’s Near South Side

Near South Side, Chicago

The Near South Side is a community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located just south of the downtown central business district, the Loop, which is itself a community area...

 community area

Community areas of Chicago

Community areas in Chicago refers to the work of the Social Science Research Committee at University of Chicago which has unofficially divided the City of Chicago into 77 community areas. These areas are well-defined and static...

. Motor Row includes buildings on Michigan Avenue

Michigan Avenue

Michigan Avenue may refer to:* Michigan Avenue * Michigan Avenue , a designation for much of both current and former U.S. Route 12 in Michigan...

 between 2200 and 2500 south, directly west of McCormick Place

McCormick Place

McCormick Place is the largest convention center in the United States. It is made up of four interconnected buildings sited on and near the shore of Lake Michigan, about 4 km south of downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA. McCormick Place hosts numerous trade shows, including the Chicago Auto Show,...

 convention center, and 1444, 1454, 1737, 1925, 2000 S. Michigan Ave., as well as 2246-3453 S. Indiana Ave., and 2211-47 S. Wabash Ave. The district was built between 1905 and 1936 by a number of notable architects.

Auto rows developed in numerous US cities shortly after 1900 as car companies sought to create districts where the sale and repair of cars could become an easy urban shopping experience. At its peak, as many as 116 different makes of automobiles were sold and repaired on Motor Row. Current-day marques that formerly had showrooms on Motor Row included Ford

Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

, Buick

Buick

Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...

, Fiat

Fiat

FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...

, and Cadillac

Cadillac

Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...

. Other marques with showrooms there that have since dissolved include Hudson

Hudson Motor Car Company

The Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson and other brand automobiles in Detroit, Michigan, from 1909 to 1954. In 1954, Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form American Motors. The Hudson name was continued through the 1957 model year, after which it was dropped.- Company strategy...

, Locomobile, Marmon, and Pierce-Arrow

Pierce-Arrow

Pierce-Arrow was an American automobile manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York, which was active from 1901-1938. Although best known for its expensive luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial trucks, fire trucks, camp trailers, motorcycles, and bicycles.-Early history:The forerunner...

. Currently, one car dealer (Ford) still stands in Motor Row while the remaining buildings have been or are being redeveloped into condominiums, nightclubs, and retail storefronts.

Architecture

The range of buildings in Motor Row illustrates the evolution of the automobile showroom and related product and service buildings, from simple two-story structures used for display and offices to multi-story buildings housing a variety of departments for the repair, storage, painting, and finishing of automobiles. Many of the buildings were designed by significant architects, including Holabird & Roche

Holabird & Roche

The architectural firm of Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm's designs have changed many times — from the Chicago School to Art Deco to Modern Architecture to Sustainable Architecture.-History:...

, Alfred Alschuler, Philip Maher, Albert Kahn, and Christian Eckstorm. The overall design highlights elaborately carved stone work, ornate facades and intricately scrolled ironwork that decorates recessed automotive doorways.

Though characterized by its auto showrooms, Motor Row was also home to newspaper The Chicago Defender

Chicago Defender

The Chicago Defender is a Chicago based newspaper founded in 1905 by an African American for primarily African American readers.In just three years from 1919–1922 the Defender also attracted the writing talents of Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks....

, a newspaper voice for Chicago's large African American

African American

African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 community. Chess Records

Chess Records

Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....

 was also located in Motor Row and acts such as Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters

McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...

, The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

, Willie Dixon

Willie Dixon

William James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...

 and many other blues artists recorded there.

Motor Row 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 December 13, 2000. It was added to 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...

on November 18, 2002.

PHOTOS
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1097448@N20/

Redevelopment

At present, Motor Row is undergoing a transformation into a premiere music and entertainment district for Chicago.

Cheap Trick Chicago Venue:
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=o45enocab&et=1108588050290&s=10198&e=001ShqOuzKe7n5C_H-CobN1hqdh1MZKOT1SJuhOyFZiM0-WaBTIRtgO2GjfZJYOXBagXJdEdE-eW0f0F4fXbjN0mgbMoh71csVY5NZaz3dAJ86cVTEj2vmjOE90NyZTmoChZ9tUyeomNK5ALuvtXLZvt1D_QTrbStQx-VTiwGj6cZEQJXHD8ZhEJzv6VEIdEs2E3Xu-sTMj5JQktFX3vnmm-lLmhySiP53xB4nudyDDAdIIiVwkUtxzLw
City Council moves to transform 'Motor Row' into 'Music Row'
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=o45enocab&et=1108588050290&s=10198&e=001ShqOuzKe7n5b3xQC8jvPKj5vOP9KY5FxdI9shjgqiLmZsImursDJeitVZvreVKLeriE4DeByxSPBQLV1UqOmGMJqg7pppBrslPYh-zUbRdLiARSgOh4sFVjdwGOj-i6HVqbmcVghQK1ozfm4Md66Qau2X-6Tl2F3tf6SLNHcAD10vMkA0-DSgKbXw0nP_Tk0j2l-x2puC80_BQG8x3eY1s3tAvarsYOQg_6UkN5ltdpTM56qANRHWA

Brewery headed for Motor Row
http://www.chicagojournal.com/News/06-22-2011/Brewery_headed_for_Motor_Row?/
Parking increase to fund new Cermak L station, downtown express bus service
Support South Loop Residents, McCormick Place and Motor Row patrons:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/8199743-418/parking-increase-to-fund-new-cermak-l-station-downtown-express-bus-service.html