McKinley Park Schlitz Tied House - Chicago, IL - Victorian Style Architecture on Waymarking.com

This building is an example of a Schlitz "tied house", or a tavern that was under contract to sell Schlitz beer exclusively. The tied house system was believed to promote intemperance and contributed to the passing of prohibition. There were many tied houses in Chicago around the turn of the century, and several remaining Schlitz tied house buildings have been granted city landmark status. This particular building was built in 1899 and the architects were Kley & Lang.

According to the Chicago Landmark designation report, "The (former) Schlitz Brewery Tied-House[] at 3456 S. Western Ave....exemplif[ies] the Queen Anne style of architecture. Characteristic features of the style exhibited...include prominent projecting bays or turrets decorated with classical ornamentation in pressed metal. Also characteristic of the Queen Anne style, ...[l]imestone window frames and stringcourse are combined with brick."

The building "is located at the northwest corner of S. Western Ave. and W. 35th St. in the McKinley Park community. The area industrialized rapidly following the Chicago Fire of 1871, as manufacturers established 11 plants, mostly foundries and steel mills, and 27 brickyards in the neighborhood. Available jobs in these local factories initially encouraged the settlement of Germans and Irish immigrants to this working-class neighborhood. The construction of the Sanitary & Ship Canal in the 1890s, located in the northern section of the community, brought additional industrial development. Transit improvement to the community were expanded throughout the 1880s and 1890s. In addition to streetcar lines on Archer Avenue and 35th Street, the area was also served by the Western Avenue streetcar which was inaugurated in 1898.

"The two-story brick building is rectangular in plan with a prominent corner turret. The front (east) elevation faces Western Ave., which at this location is part of the historic park boulevard system encircling the city. Both street elevations are clad in warm yellow face brick with limestone trim. A terra-cotta Schlitz “belted globe” is set within the façade at the side elevation and trimmed with limestone.

"The corner is marked with a prominent turret clad in pressed metal with classical-style reticulated panels and colonnettes and topped by a “witch’s hat” roof. A second projecting window bay is also located on the side elevation with similar pressed-metal cladding. Window openings at both the front and side elevations are set within limestone frames with flat lintels, joined by a stringcourse with label molding at the front elevation. The less visible rear and side elevations of the building are common brick.

"The original storefront has been replaced by a glass and aluminum storefront system; although though the historic steel lintel and masonry piers framing the entrance to the second-floor apartments remain. Other minor changes to the building include the infill of the first-floor windows and door opening on the side elevation with brick and the removal of a cornice at the front and side elevations."

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Public/Private: Public Tours Available?: No Year Built: 1899 Web Address: [Web Link]

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