South Loop Printing House District

Centered on South Dearborn Street near Dearborn Station, this Chicago district of about 43 acres preserves the buildings of the city's printing industry. Development began after the Great Fire of 1871 and accelerated in 1883, when the Donohue Building opened in anticipation of the station. The railroad gave printers freight access and a way to distribute books, catalogs and maps nationwide. Narrow blocks admitted light to tall buildings and allowed long rows of presses. Firms such as Donohue and Henneberry, Rand McNally and the Lakeside Press clustered here, supported by paper suppliers, binders, engravers and mapmakers. A second wave of building followed the 1903 LaSalle Street station, and six more buildings arrived in the mid-1920s. The architecture ranges from small post-fire brick lofts to Romanesque Revival plants, Chicago School towers such as the Pontiac Building, and concrete-frame structures. Many designers were prominent Chicago architects. Neglect after World War II left the district's fabric largely intact, and it was listed for its commercial, industrial and architectural character.