Studebaker Building
Also known as: Fine Arts Building
Why it's listed
Built in 1884 on South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, this building was first a carriage warehouse, outfitting shop and showroom for the Studebaker wagon company. Architect Solon Beman gave it a Romanesque facade of rough-cut Bedford stone and red granite, with huge polished granite columns said to be among the largest monolithic shafts in the country. After the Studebakers moved to a new building in 1895, the structure was converted into the Fine Arts Building, opening in 1898 with theaters, recital halls and artists' studios, plus a tenth floor added on top. It became home to clubs, artists and sculptors, and to the early Little Review and Poetry magazines. The nomination holds that it influenced the vertical rhythm of Sullivan's neighboring Auditorium Building, shows skillful adaptive reuse, and contributes to the harmonious character of South Michigan Avenue facing Grant Park.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of the finest large Chicago buildings showing the climax of masonry commercial design, and the only major downtown work by Solon Beman. It is credited as a source for Adler and Sullivan's Auditorium Building design. It is also a skillful adaptive-use conversion that became a center of Chicago's cultural and literary life, and it forms part of the Michigan Avenue streetscape facing Grant Park.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 75000653, listed August 11, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 410-418 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | August 11, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75000653 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th Century (specific dates 1884; 1898) |
| Architect / builder | Solon Beman (architect); A.N. Rebori (Studebaker Theater interiors) |
| Architectural style | Commercial and Romanesque elements (Richardsonian Romanesque) |
| Areas of significance | Literature, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in good condition and altered, occupied; the building continues as a center for music schools, theaters, studios and offices. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 41.87618, -87.62478 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 75000653.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5450045
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.