Page Brothers Building
Encyclopedia
The Page Brothers Building, 177-91 North State Street
in the Loop community area
of Chicago
in Cook County
, Illinois
, United States
, features the city's last remaining cast iron
front on the north facade
facing Lake Street
. Although this example was built after the fire, iron facades were a common construction technique before the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, and many of the iron fronts melted due to the intense heat. The original 5 story structure was built by John Mills Van Osdel
, a prominent post-Fire architect
known for buildings in the Jewelers Row District
and Old Main
at the University of Arkansas
. In 1902, the west facade facing State Street was remodeled and another floor was added, reflecting the reorientation of commercial activity from Lake to State Street.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on June 5, 1975, and was later designated a Chicago Landmark
on January 28, 1983. The Page Brothers Building stands next to the Chicago Theatre
, another Chicago Landmark whose marquee
is a Chicago cultural and physical landmark that commonly appears in film
, television
, artwork
, and photography
.
State Street (Chicago)
State Street is a large south-north street in Chicago, Illinois, USA and its south suburbs. It begins on the Near North Side at North Avenue. For much of its course, it lies between Wabash Avenue on the east and Dearborn Street/Lafayette Avenue on the west...
in the Loop community area
Community areas of Chicago
Community areas in Chicago refers to the work of the Social Science Research Committee at University of Chicago which has unofficially divided the City of Chicago into 77 community areas. These areas are well-defined and static...
of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, features the city's last remaining cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
front on the north facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
facing Lake Street
Lake Street (Chicago)
Lake Street is an east-west arterial road in Chicago and its suburbs. Part of Lake Street is designated as U.S. Route 20. Lake Street begins in the city of Chicago and travels west and slightly north to the Chicago suburbs. It ends at the eastern terminus of the Elgin Bypass around Elgin, where...
. Although this example was built after the fire, iron facades were a common construction technique before the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, and many of the iron fronts melted due to the intense heat. The original 5 story structure was built by John Mills Van Osdel
John M. Van Osdel
John Mills Van Osdel was an American architect who is considered the first Chicago architect. He is considered a peer of the most prominent architects in the history of Chicago...
, a prominent post-Fire architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
known for buildings in the Jewelers Row District
Jewelers Row District
The Jewelers Row District is a historic district in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, USA. The district was built between 1872 to 1941 by many architects, including Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, John Mills Van Osdel, Adler & Sullivan, Alfred Alschuler, D. H. Burnham & Co., and...
and Old Main
Old Main (University of Arkansas)
Old Main is the oldest building on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the University , and of higher education in general in Arkansas.- History :Old Main was constructed between 1873 and 1875 as part of a land grant for the...
at the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
. In 1902, the west facade facing State Street was remodeled and another floor was added, reflecting the reorientation of commercial activity from Lake to State Street.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on June 5, 1975, and was later designated a Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark is a designation of the Mayor of Chicago and the Chicago City Council for historic buildings and other sites in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, architectural, artistic, cultural,...
on January 28, 1983. The Page Brothers Building stands next to the Chicago Theatre
Chicago Theatre
The Chicago Theatre, originally known as the Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre, is a landmark theater located on North State Street in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. Built in 1921, the Chicago Theatre was the flagship for the Balaban and Katz group of theaters run by A. J. Balaban, his brother...
, another Chicago Landmark whose marquee
Marquee (sign)
A marquee is most commonly a structure placed over the entrance to a hotel or theatre. It has signage stating either the name of the establishment or, in the case of theatres, the play or movie and the artist appearing at that venue...
is a Chicago cultural and physical landmark that commonly appears in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, artwork
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
, and photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
.