The Larkin Company Building was an eight-story loft building at 3617 S. Ashland Avenue in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Central Manufacturing District The Central Manufacturing District of Chicago is a area of the city in which private decision makers planned the structure of the district and its internal regulation, including the provision of vital services ordinarily considered to be outside ...

. It was a contributing property to the Central Manufacturing District–Original East Historic District. The building was built in 1912 and was demolished in December 2020.

History

The Larkin Company purchased the property in late 1911 for $45,257, and built the building in 1912 at a cost of approximately $500,000."Larkin Plant Coming: Big Buffalo Firm Gets Tract on Ashland Avenue, Between Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh", ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

''. November 25, 1911. p. 13.
The Economist
'. April 27, 1912. p. 852. Retrieved December 21, 2020. It was designed by F. E. Lockwood and originally housed the Larkin Company's Chicago operations. It also housed the offices and warehouse of the Vassar Swiss Underwear Company from 1913 until 1914, when it moved to its newly built plant at 2545 West Diversey. In the 1920s, the building housed the Midwestern operations of the Hydro-United Tire Company and the Bristol Company, a manufacturer of recording equipment. By the early 1930s, Jewel Food Stores had offices in the building. The Jewel Tea company purchased the building in 1937 for $432,000. The building served the headquarters of the Jewel Food Stores division, as well as its warehouse."Start Work on Addition to Building", ''

''. August 1, 1948. Part 3, p. A. A two-story addition was built in 1948, designed by Carr & Wright. In 1954, much of the company's Chicago and Barrington operations were combined at their new site in Melrose Park, but the building continued to serve Jewel as a distribution warehouse for many years. In 1954, Jewel planned to build a

heliport A heliport is a small airport suitable for use by helicopters and some other vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff areas and may also have limited facilities such as fuel or hangars. I ...

on the roof of the building. The building later housed

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, known as the Wrigley Company, is an American multinational chewing gum (Wrigley's gum) company, based in the Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Goose Island, Chicago, Illinois. Wrigley's is wholly owned by Mars, In ...

's Wrico Packaging division.Edgar, Susan E. (1996). ''Ward's Business Directory''. p. 179. A permit to demolish the building was issued on December 11, 2020.

References

{{Reflist 1912 establishments in Illinois Buildings and structures in Chicago Buildings and structures completed in 1912 Historic district contributing properties in Illinois Buildings and structures demolished in 2020 2020 disestablishments in Illinois Demolished buildings and structures in Chicago