| Larkin Company Building | |
| Coordinates: | 41.8279°N -87.6649°W |
| Completion Date: | 1912 |
| Demolition Date: | December 2020 |
| Floor Count: | 8 |
| Architect: | F. E. Lockwood |
The Larkin Company Building was an eight-story loft building at 3617 S. Ashland Avenue in Chicago's Central Manufacturing District. It was a contributing property to the Central Manufacturing District–Original East Historic District.[1] The building was constructed in 1912 and was demolished in December 2020.
The Larkin Company purchased the property in late 1911 for $45,257 and built the building in 1912 at a cost of approximately $500,000.[2] [3] [4] [5] It was designed by F. E. Lockwood and originally housed the Larkin Company's Chicago operations.[1] [3] [5] It also housed the offices and warehouse of the Vassar Swiss Underwear Company from 1913 until 1914, when it moved to its newly built plant at 2545 West Diversey.[6] [7] In the 1920s, the building housed the Midwestern operations of the Hydro-United Tire Company and the Bristol Company, a manufacturer of recording equipment.[8] [9]
By the early 1930s, Jewel Food Stores had offices in the building.[10] The Jewel Tea company purchased the building in 1937 for $432,000.[11] The building served the headquarters of the Jewel Food Stores division, as well as its warehouse.[12] [13] A two-story addition was built in 1948, designed by Carr & Wright.[12] In 1954, much of the company's Chicago and Barrington operations were combined at their new site in Melrose Park, but the building continued to serve Jewel as a distribution warehouse for many years.[14] [15] In 1954, Jewel planned to build a heliport on the roof of the building.[16] The building later housed Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company's Wrico Packaging division.[17] A permit to demolish the building was issued on December 11, 2020.