{"nrhp_refnum":"09000347","name":"B.F. Goodrich Company Showroom","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1925 S. Michigan Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.85594000000003,"lon":-87.62383999999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2009-05-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story commercial showroom building at 1925 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago's Motor Row, built in 1911 for B. F. Goodrich to sell, install and distribute automobile tires. It was designed by architect Christian Albert Eckstorm and built by S. N. Nielson.","why_significant":"It is an early example of the automobile showroom, a new commercial building type in 1911, and retains its terra cotta ornament, copper mansard roof, large glazed storefront and garage service doors. It is also the work of Eckstorm, who designed many auto-related buildings in Motor Row. It reflects Goodrich's network of branch houses selling replacement tires directly to the public.","narrative":"Built in 1911 at the corner of S. Michigan Avenue and E. Cullerton Street, this three-story building in Chicago's Motor Row served as a branch showroom for the B. F. Goodrich Company of Akron, Ohio. It sold and installed replacement tires and shipped stock to retailers around the region. Architect Christian Albert Eckstorm gave it a white glazed terra cotta front, a green glazed terra cotta mansard roof, cast iron torchères and a copper cornice, an unusual late use of the Second Empire style that suited the street's older mansions. The building cost $30,000 and Goodrich moved in during 1912. The company left in 1929 after consolidating its Chicago operations elsewhere. The building keeps its original form, storefront framework, alley service doors and decorative detail. It is recognized for its role in the commerce of early automobile culture and as an early example of the showroom building type. Rehabilitation of the interior was under way when it was documented.","period_of_significance":"1911-1929","architect_builder":"Christian Albert Eckstorm, architect; S. N. Nielson, builder","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Second Empire","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The interior was being rehabilitated at the time the nomination was written; most interior walls and finishes had been removed before the current owner acquired it. Current use is listed as specialty store and single dwelling.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.652955-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/62/8909/28890962/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/09000347.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000347/36ab1da9b5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/09000347/36ab1da9b5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Andrew Jameson","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BF_Goodrich_Company_Showroom_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:BF_Goodrich_Company_Showroom_Chicago_IL.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28890962","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.F._Goodrich_Company_Showroom","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15195733"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/b-f-goodrich-company-showroom-09000347/"}