{"nrhp_refnum":"72000451","name":"Old Stone Gate of Chicago Union Stockyards","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Exchange Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.81858101200004,"lon":-87.64841723599994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-12-27","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1981-05-29","areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Agriculture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A triple-arched entrance gate of rough-faced Lemont limestone with a copper roof, on Exchange Avenue at the Chicago Union Stockyards in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. It was officially opened on June 28, 1879.","why_significant":"The gate survives as a reminder of Chicago's former supremacy in the livestock and meat packing industry. It replaced an earlier wooden gate of similar design and stayed open continuously, and it was undamaged by the great fire of 1934. The form also notes its architecture, with a sculptural steer's head on the east gable.","narrative":"Built of rough-faced Lemont limestone, this gate marks the entrance to the Chicago Union Stockyards on Exchange Avenue. It is about 25 feet high and 40 feet wide, with a triple-arched opening: a tall central arch for vehicles and two smaller, unequal side arches. A steeply pitched copper roof caps it, and four turrets flank the central arch. On the east face, a sculpted steer's head fills the gable, said to represent Sherman, a prize-winning steer named for stockyards incorporator John B. Sherman. A two-story stone security station with a mansard roof is attached at the south end. The stockyards opened on Christmas Day, 1865, and a wooden gate of similar design preceded this one. The stone gate opened to the public on June 28, 1879, and was not damaged by the 1934 fire. With the yards slated to close in 1971, it remained as a reminder of Chicago's leading role in livestock and meat packing.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1879)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition, though finials are broken off, the original iron roof was replaced with copper, and some stone and moulding is eroded. The stockyards were slated to close July 1, 1971.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.153787-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/22/8919/28891922/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/72000451.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000451/651a3682c8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000451/651a3682c8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Zol87 from Chicago, Illinois, USA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chicago_Union_Stockyard_Gate.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Zol87 from Chicago, Illinois, USA</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chicago_Union_Stockyard_Gate.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/28891922","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Stock_Yard_Gate","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7886121"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/old-stone-gate-of-chicago-union-stockyards-72000451/"}