Waterman Building (Chicago)

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Waterman Building
Waterman Building (Jan 2020).jpg
Waterman Building (Chicago)
General information
Location127 S. State Street, Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates 41°52′48.65″N87°37′39.11″W / 41.8801806°N 87.6275306°W / 41.8801806; -87.6275306
Completed1920
Technical details
Floor count7
Floor area30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) [1]
Design and construction
Architect(s) Holabird and Roche

The Waterman Building is a historic building on State Street in Chicago's Loop. Designed by Holabird and Roche, construction began in 1919 was completed in 1920. [2] [3] The first floor originally housed the Waterman Pen Company's Chicago store, while Waterman's offices were located on upper floors. [2]

History

Sales room of the Waterman Building, 1920 Sales room of Waterman Building.png
Sales room of the Waterman Building, 1920
Illustration of the Waterman Building, 1920 Illustration of the Waterman Building from National Builder.png
Illustration of the Waterman Building, 1920

In 1918, the Waterman Pen Company began leasing the property and initially announced plans to renovate the existing building and replace its facade, at an estimated cost of $100,000. [4] [5] [6] However, Waterman instead built an entirely new building, at a cost of $225,000. [3] Designed by Holabird and Roche, it was the first new building to be built in Chicago's Loop following the start of World War I. [3] The exterior was clad in blue terra cotta and encaustic mosaic panels, while the interior featured black walnut furnishing and fixtures, a vaulted ceiling decorated in silver and gray, and cork tile flooring. [1] [7] [8] Waterman moved into the building on May 10, 1920. [2] [9] [1] [8]

In 1922, the Chicago Business College began leasing the sixth floor of the building. [10] [11] In 1923, the White Star Line began leasing the building's second floor for $10,000 a year. [12] On October 20, 1938, Three Sisters, a woman's apparel shop, opened its fifth Chicago-area store in the Waterman Building. [13] [14] On February 21, 1952, Mary Jane Shoes opened its store in the building. [15] [16] [17]

In the 1960s, the building was home to Stanley Green's, a kosher cafeteria and buffet. [18] The cafeteria was located on the ground floor, while the lower floor featured the dining room and cocktail lounge. [18] From 1967 to 2018, the restaurant Beef and Brandy was located on the ground floor, while its bar, the Bar Below, was located on the lower floor. [19] [20] In 2018, the building was sold and Sonder Corp. intended to renovate it and open a 41 room hotel in the top four stories, with retail on the first two floors. [21] [19] [22] [23] However, this plan did not come to fruition, and the building has been again listed for sale.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Waterman Open Chicago Building", Walden's Stationer and Printer. Vol. 44, No. 1. May 1920. p. 108. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "New Chicago Home for Waterman", Walden's Stationer and Printer. Vol. 43, No. 18. April 1920. p. 70. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 The American Architect . Vol. 115, No. 2263. May 7, 1919. p. 10. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Waterman Pen Company Leases State St. Store", Chicago Tribune . April 12, 1918. p. 12.
  5. ↑ "Business Changes", The Bookseller, Newsdealer and Stationer. May 1, 1918. p. 496. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Waterman Co. Secure Chicago Store", Geyer's Stationer. April 18, 1918. p. 62. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Black Walnut Decorates Handsome Waterman Store", Hardwood Record. September 25, 1920. p. 31. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  8. 1 2 "L.E. Waterman Co.'s New Chicago Building", The American Stationer and Office Manager. May 8, 1920. p. 13. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  9. ↑ "The L. E. Waterman Company Open New Building in Chicago", N.A.R.D. Journal. Vol. 30, No. 7. May 20, 1920. p. 314. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  10. ↑ Chase, Al. "Drexel Square Flat Building Is Sold, $673,000", Chicago Tribune . February 19, 1922. p. 12.
  11. ↑ "State Street: Chicago Business College", The Economist. February 11, 1922. p. 328. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  12. ↑ "White Star Line on State", Chicago Tribune . May 13, 1923. Part 8, p. 30.
  13. ↑ "Sears' and Three Sisters' New Stores to Open", Chicago Tribune . October 20, 1938. p. 25.
  14. ↑ "New York Apparel Concern Leases Chicago Building", Chicago Tribune . September 21, 1938. p. 25.
  15. ↑ "Cut Ribbon for the Grand Opening 11 a.m. Today... 127 S. State Street", Chicago Tribune . February 21, 1952. Part 1, p. 14.
  16. ↑ Realty and Building. Vol. 127. 1952. p. 31.
  17. ↑ "State St. Stores List New Hours for Christmas Season", Chicago Tribune . November 12, 1960. Part 2, p. 5.
  18. 1 2 Loring, Kay. "Chicago's Italian Cuisine Will Tickle Your Palate", Chicago Tribune . January 2, 1966. Section 5, p. 10.
  19. 1 2 Bauer, Kelly. "Beef and Brandy Being Forced to Leave State Street Location After 51 Years", Block Club Chicago . November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Action Express", Chicago Tribune . June 15, 1971. Section 1A, p. 1.
  21. ↑ Ori, Ryan. "San Francisco-based company bringing hotels to three historic Loop buildings", Chicago Tribune . November 26, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Site of stalled River North condo project turns to shorter apartment-style hotel development", Curbed Chicago . September 16, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  23. ↑ Roeder, David. "Lodging operator Sonder expands Chicago product line", Chicago Sun-Times . July 11, 2019.
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