{"nrhp_refnum":"82002530","name":"Railway Exchange Building","other_names":["Santa Fe Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"80 E. Jackson Blvd. and 224 S. Michigan Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.87833907600003,"lon":-87.62455737599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-06-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A seventeen-story steel-frame office building at 80 East Jackson Boulevard and 224 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, built in 1903 and faced in white glazed terra cotta. It was designed by D. H. Burnham & Company.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an outstanding Chicago example of the early twentieth century tall commercial buildings by D. H. Burnham and Company, combining Chicago School design with a classicized white terra cotta finish. It was built by a corporation of railroads in which Burnham was the principal stockholder. It housed Burnham's offices and was where his 1909 Plan of Chicago was prepared. It was also the tallest building on South Michigan Avenue when built.","narrative":"Rising seventeen stories on Michigan Avenue at Jackson Boulevard, this Chicago office building was completed in 1903 to a design by D. H. Burnham & Company. Its steel frame sits on deep caissons and is sheathed in white glazed terra cotta, with a central light court that brightens interior offices. The facades follow the base, shaft and entablature pattern, with alternating flat and projecting bays, Greek fret bands, and winged female figures at the top story. A two-story lobby is finished entirely in ornamental terra cotta. The building was financed by a corporation of railroads, including the Santa Fe, Milwaukee and Alton, with Burnham as its largest shareholder. Burnham moved his own offices here in 1904, and his 1909 Plan of Chicago was prepared in the building. It was the tallest structure on South Michigan Avenue when built. Despite changes to storefronts, elevators and lobby floors, the original plan and finish remain largely intact, and the building anchors the avenue opposite Grant Park.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"D. H. Burnham & Company; F. P. Dinkelberg, designer","architectural_style":"Chicago School with classical ornament","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied; facades and lobby described as in excellent condition despite some alterations, and the original plan and finish are maintained.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.896165-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/34/8922/28892234/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/82002530.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002530/54b49b7f79-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002530/54b49b7f79-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"ajay_suresh","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Railway_Exchange_Building_-_Chicago_(51575329179).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">ajay_suresh</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Railway_Exchange_Building_-_Chicago_(51575329179).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892234","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_Exchange_Building_(Chicago)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7419507"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/railway-exchange-building-82002530/"}