The Gage Group Buildings consist of three buildings located at 18, 24 and 30 S.
Michigan Avenue, between
Madison Street and Monroe Street, in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. They were built from 1890–1899, designed by
Holabird & Roche
The architectural firm now known as Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm has changed its name several times and adapted to the architectural style then current — from Chicago School to Art Deco to Modern ...
for the three
millinery
Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter.
Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...
firms - Gage, Keith and Ascher. The building at 18 S. Michigan Avenue has an ornamental
façade
A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'.
In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...
designed by
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloy ...
. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on November 14, 1985, and was designated a
Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark is a designation by the Mayor and the City Council of Chicago for historic sites in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, archite ...
on September 11, 1996.
In addition, it is a historic district contributing property for the Chicago Landmark
Historic Michigan Boulevard District.
The façades of these buildings demonstrate two different approaches to the
Chicago School, a design movement that led to the creation of
modern commercial architecture. The buildings by Holabird & Roche are straightforward, while the facade designed by Sullivan exemplifies his more expressive approach.
The tallest building is known as "18 South Michigan Avenue" and was previously called the Gage Brothers and Company Building. Before the Chicago street addresses were changed in 1909, the building had the address of 130 S. Michigan Avenue. The ornamental flourishes at the top of Sullivan's façade were pushed upwards when four stories were added in 1902 by different architects. This is one of only five buildings in Chicago designed by Louis Sullivan as a solo architect that are still standing.
The two smaller buildings to the south are also part of the Gage Group Buildings. The Edson Keith and Company Building is connected to the Gage Building and is located at 24 S. Michigan Avenue. The Theodore Ascher and Company Building is also known as the 30 South Michigan Building.
See also
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Chicago architecture
The buildings and architecture of Chicago reflect the city's history and multicultural heritage, featuring prominent buildings in a variety of styles. Most structures downtown were destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 (an exception being th ...
References
External links
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{{Louis Sullivan
Chicago school architecture in Illinois
Commercial buildings completed in 1890
Commercial buildings completed in 1899
Louis Sullivan buildings
Roosevelt University
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago
Historic American Buildings Survey in Chicago
Historic district contributing properties in Illinois
1890 establishments in Illinois
Projects by Holabird & Root
Chicago Landmarks