Holden Block

The Holden Block is a commercial building in the Near West Side of Chicago.[1] Located at 1027 W. Madison Street, it was constructed in 1872[1] in the rush of reconstruction after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 by Charles C. P. Holden, who was a public servant prominent in the area.[2] It is one of the few remaining examples of Italianate-designed commercial blocks in Chicago,[1] and is the best preserved of such blocks in the Near West Side.[3]

The Holden Block seen in 2014

History

Reconstruction was rapid in the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871; within six weeks 318 buildings had been built in the affected area.[4] The initial buildings were sparsely ornamented, being built in haste at the expense of style.[4] More stylized buildings came in the spring of 1872; of 50 buildings constructed in the early 1870s that survived to be charted by the Chicago Historic Resources Survey, 43 were designed with Italianate architecture.[5] Although the Near West Side was largely spared from the fire, development occurred in the fire's aftermath in the area as well as the Near Northwest Side.[6]

Commercial blocks were enormously popular during this time as they provided flexibility in use.[7] The era of their dominance was short-lived, however, as skyscrapers began to replace them about 20 years following their construction, and most blocks were demolished during the 20th century to make way for new development.[6]

Description

The Holden Block was designed by Stephen Vaughan Shipman.[1] It occupies the entirety of its 72-by-100-foot (22 m × 30 m) lot.[2] Its facade is clad in Buena Vista stone, a type of stone quarried in Ohio that was popular in construction at the time.[1] The facade contains 24 windows surrounded by eight various designs;[1] the windows were originally double-hung but have since become single-hung.[2] An 1894 fire destroyed its western section and south and west walls; those were rebuilt under the plan of architect John M. Van Osdel while retaining the original facade.[4] It originally had a cornice, which was lost by 2011[8] but restored by 2014.

Landmark status

The neighborhood became depressed in the early 20th century and after World War II was known as "Skid row", hosting many hotels serving the disestablished.[9] It is unknown whether the Holden Block itself served as a hotel during this time, although it was vacant by the time of a fire in 1954.[9] Although many surrounding buildings were demolished starting in the 1970s to make way for redevelopment, the Holden Block survived and was designated a Chicago landmark in 2011.[10] In 2017 it was tied for the tenth-oldest landmarked building in Chicago.[11]

See also

• Delaware Building, another surviving Italianate commercial block in Chicago

References

1. Landmark Report, p. 1
2. Landmark Report, p. 2
3. Landmark Report, p. 22
4. Landmark Report, p. 5
5. Landmark Report, pp. 5&7
6. Landmark Report, p. 7
7. Landmark Report, p. 6
8. Landmark Report, p. 8
9. Landmark Report, p. 21
10. Landmark Report, p. 24
11. Ali, Tanveer; Breen, Justin (January 27, 2017). "Chicago's Oldest Landmarked Buildings Might Surprise You". DNAInfo. Retrieved March 30, 2020.

Works cited

• Holden Block (PDF) (Report). City of Chicago Commission on Chicago Landmarks. March 3, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2020.