Empire Iron & Steel Company - Central Manufacturing District Original - Chicago, IL
Posted by: 
libbykc
N 41° 49.707 W 087° 39.061
16T E 445939 N 4630934
This industrial building was once home to Empire Iron & steel, a branch of the Brier Hill Steel Company, and was used for the manufacture of galvanized products.
Waymark Code: WM13HX9
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 12/21/2020
Views: 1
The Empire Iron & Steel building was designed by architect R.S Lindstrom and built in 1913. The facade of this brick building still shows the company's name, and there is a dated cornerstone as well that reads A.D. 1913.
A historic picture of the building in the book "The Central Manufacturing District : Chicago Junction Railway Service : a book of descriptive text, photographs & testimonial letters about Chicago Junction Railway Service and the Central Manufacturing District" has the following caption:
"Empire Iron & Steel Company Building. 36th and South Morgan Streets THE Empire Iron & Steel Company is a branch of the Brier Hill Steel Company of Youngstown, Ohio, and manufactures galvanized sheet roofing, pipe, ceiling, etc. This building was built in 1913 and is a one-story structure with the exception of the front portion which is two stories and basement. It is of heavy mill construction, sprinkled and contains about 20,000 square feet of floor space." (
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Chicago's Central Manufacturing District "was the nation’s first planned industrial district, a cluster of buildings intentionally designed for manufacturing businesses and centered around critical infrastructure like transportation. The CMD was conceived by Boston financier Frederick Prince, who owned most of the Union Stockyards. Prince also owned the Chicago Junction Railroad and built the CMD as a way to get more business to the transportation arm of his business, according to a 1985 Chicago Tribune article." (
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