{"nrhp_refnum":"04000870","name":"South Water Market","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Bounded by 14th Place, the 16th St. rail embankment, Racine Ave., and Morgan St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.87796313550004,"lon":-87.65541252380604,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-08-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A complex of six three-story reinforced concrete produce warehouse buildings on about 14 acres on Chicago's Near West Side, bounded by 14th Place, the 16th Street rail embankment, Racine Avenue and Morgan Street. Built in 1925 and designed by architects Fugard and Knapp, with McLennan Construction Co. as builder.","why_significant":"The market was Chicago's principal wholesale produce market and played a significant role in the city's economy by supplying fresh, affordable produce. When built it was the largest produce market in the country by physical size. It was purpose-built, reflecting the newest ideas on efficient and sanitary food distribution to a large city.","narrative":"South Water Market is a group of six identical three-story warehouse buildings on Chicago's Near West Side, covering roughly 14 acres. Completed in 1925 to designs by architects John Reed Fugard and George Arnold Knapp, and built by McLennan Construction Co., the reinforced concrete structures have front facades of off-white terra cotta made to resemble stone. They held 166 commercial units, each one bay wide, with loading docks, steel canopies and freight elevators. The complex served as Chicago's main wholesale produce market until 2001. When it opened it was the largest produce market in the country by physical size, and for years it ranked second in annual sales, behind only New York. It was purpose-built to supply the city with fresh food efficiently and sanitarily, unlike older markets in cramped downtown locations. Many upper-floor windows have been filled in, but the terra cotta openings remain intact. The buildings are now being adapted to residential use. Its significance covers 1925 to 1954, in the areas of commerce and community planning.","period_of_significance":"1925 to 1954","architect_builder":"Fugard, John Reed, architect; Knapp, George Arnold, architect; Mc Lennan Construction Co., builders","architectural_style":"Classical Revival; Commercial Style","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Operated continuously from 1925 until 2001. Most unit owners moved to a new produce market, and the current owners are rehabilitating the buildings for residential use as a certified rehabilitation.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.017686-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/59/8925/28892559/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/04000870.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000870/bb640428b3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000870/bb640428b3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Andrew Jameson","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Water_Market_Chicago_IL.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Andrew Jameson</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:South_Water_Market_Chicago_IL.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"12000040","name":"Chicago Park Boulevard System Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/chicago-park-boulevard-system-historic-district-12000040/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892559","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Water_Market","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23461967"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/south-water-market-04000870/"}