{"nrhp_refnum":"02001386","name":"Automatic Electric Company Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1001 W. Van Buren","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.878383136000025,"lon":-87.65224082899994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-11-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Communications","Invention"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A six-story brick light industrial building at 1001 West Van Buren, at the southwest corner of Van Buren and Morgan streets in Chicago's Near West Side. The original building was completed in 1901 and enlarged with additions in 1907; the architect and builder are unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues national significance under Criterion A in communications and invention. The building housed the Automatic Electric Company, which developed, refined and spread the Strowger automatic dial telephone system worldwide. It is described as the building most closely associated with the company's history and retains a high degree of integrity.","narrative":"Six stories of golden brick cover half a city block at Van Buren and Morgan streets on Chicago's Near West Side. The original building went up in 1901 with mill construction, Classical Revival details and decorative brickwork imitating stone. Two additions followed in 1907, a connecting annex and a western wing designed to match the original in height, materials and window pattern. The building was the home of the Automatic Electric Company, which developed and sold the Strowger automatic dial telephone system. By 1911 its equipment was in use across the United States and in countries including Australia, England, Cuba and Argentina. The company also supplied independent telephone companies competing with the Bell System. Over 4,800 people worked at the headquarters, designing and building switching equipment. The period of significance runs from 1901 to 1952. Alterations include enclosed loading docks, a filled rear courtyard and a 1984 mural on the south wall, though the structure and facades remain largely intact.","period_of_significance":"1901-1952","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Commercial Style","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Currently used for manufacturing and light manufacturing; the south elevation mural is in poor condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.734079-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/72/8925/28892572/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/02001386.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001386/65f876a9b5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001386/65f876a9b5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Thshriver","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Automatic_Electric_Company_Building_4.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Thshriver</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Automatic_Electric_Company_Building_4.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892572","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Electric_Company_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65117738"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/automatic-electric-company-building-02001386/"}