{"nrhp_refnum":"04001306","name":"Chicago and North Western Railway Power House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"211 N. Clinton St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.88839281200006,"lon":-87.64852188199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-12-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick and terra cotta power house at 211 North Clinton Street in Chicago, designed by Frost & Granger in 1909 and completed in 1911 to serve the adjacent Chicago & North Western Railway station.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a well-preserved example of an early twentieth-century railroad power house, with the features typical of the type, including separate boiler and engine rooms, large steel windows, noncombustible construction and a tall radial-brick chimney. It also has Beaux Arts design, with Italian Renaissance Revival influences, and an engine room finished in Grueby tile. It supplied steam and electricity to the station, trains and surrounding neighborhood until the early 1960s.","narrative":"Built between 1909 and 1911 at 211 North Clinton Street in Chicago, this power house once produced steam and electricity for the Chicago & North Western Railway station next door. Frost & Granger designed it in a Beaux Arts style with Italian Renaissance Revival influences. Cream-colored brick walls rise from a granite base, with terra cotta cornices, keystones and panels bearing the railway's monogram. Tall arched steel windows light the interior, and a 227-foot brick stack stands at the northwest corner. Inside, a boiler room and an engine room are kept apart, and the engine room walls are faced in green Grueby tile. The nomination presents the building as a typical industrial power house, with features such as large operable windows, noncombustible materials and a radial-brick chimney. It served the station until the early 1960s. The station itself has been demolished, leaving the power house as the surviving piece of the complex. Although the machinery and one cooling tower are gone, the exterior retains its original openings and decorative trim.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Frost & Granger","architectural_style":"Beaux Arts; Italian Renaissance","criteria":[],"status_note":"Machinery has been removed and the south cooling tower and motor house were taken down in 1942. The current function is listed as work in progress, and interior finishes in the reception room are in very poor condition.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.217386-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/9/8925/28892509/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/04001306.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001306/279b4e670d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04001306/279b4e670d-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CNW_Powerhouse.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CNW_Powerhouse.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"12001238","name":"West Loop-LaSalle Street Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/west-loop-lasalle-street-historic-district-12001238/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892509","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_and_North_Western_Railway_Power_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5095868"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/chicago-and-north-western-railway-power-house-04001306/"}