The Libby, McNeill and Libby Building is an industrial building on Western Avenue in Blue Island, Illinois. It was designed by Philip Larmon and built between 1917 and 1919. It originally served as

Libby, McNeill and Libby Libby's (Libby, McNeill & Libby) was an American company that produced canned food and beverages. The firm was established in 1869 in Chicago, Illinois. The Libby's trademark is currently owned by Libby's Brand Holding based in Geneva, Switzerlan ...

's main Midwest processing plant.

History

The plant was built between 1917 and 1919. Situated on a 22-acre property at the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago terminal, it was designed by Philip Larmon and built by C. A. Moses Construction Company at a cost of approximately $500,000.Building News
, ''The Economist''. July 20, 1918. p. 128. Retrieved July 17, 2021. Libby, McNeill and Libby moved into the building in mid-June 1918. The northernmost rear wing was completed in 1919, and served as the "Tomato Building", while the southernmost wing was the "Pickle Building". A wide variety of foods were canned and bottled at this plant, including pickles, catsup, mustard, salad dressing, jellies, apple butter, baked beans, and olives. Libby's closed the plant in 1968. In the 1980s, the building was redeveloped as the Blue Island Industrial Terminal and would go on to house a variety of small businesses, including a fiberglass boat manufacturer and an electrical conduit manufacturer.Kerch, Steve.

, '' Chicago Tribune''. July 30, 1989. Retrieved July 17, 2021.Slowik, Ted.
Blue Island warns addict recovery agency of code violation, exposing political feud in the process
, '' Daily Southtown''. September 15, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2021. In 2018, the building was donated to Affordable Recovery Housing, a nonprofit organization serving homeless people and recovering addicts. Affordable Recovery Housing organized free COVID-19 testing on the property, during the COVID-19 pandemic.Wright, Jesse.
Nonprofit organizes free COVID-19 test site for Blue Island community
, '' Daily Southtown''. September 23, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2021.

References

{{Commons category 1918 establishments in Illinois Buildings and structures in Illinois Industrial buildings completed in 1919 Blue Island, Illinois