Wrigley Lodge Explained

Wrigley Lodge
Location:509 N. Union, Chicago, Illinois
Owner:The Salvation Army
Coordinates:41.8918°N -87.6455°W
Completion Date:1891
Floor Count:6
Architect:C.J. Furst
Charles Rudolph

Wrigley Lodge is a building at 509 N. Union, Chicago, Illinois. Owned by the Salvation Army since 1931, it most recently housed a Salvation Army Thrift Store and adult rehabilitation center.[1] [2]

History

Early uses

The building was designed by the architectural firm of Furst & Rudolph and was built in 1891 by Biemolt & Carter at a cost of between $40,000 and $50,000.[1] [3] [4] [5] The building was originally the Braun & Fitts Butterine Factory.[1] [3] [4] In 1897, a law was enacted in Illinois prohibiting the coloring of butterine.[6] [7] In response, Braun & Fitts and Chicago's other butterine manufacturers threatened move their operations out of the state.[6] [7] However, Chicago's butterine producers decided to continue manufacturing and coloring butterine until arrests would be made, so the constitutionality of the law could be tested.[8] [9] The company's name was changed to John F. Jelke Company in 1906.[10]

In 1912, the Dairy Farm Products Company purchased the building from the John F. Jelke Company.[11] The Dairy Farm Products Company opened its plant in the building on October 17, 1912, manufacturing butter.[12] In 1916, the building was sold to William Wrigley Jr. for approximately $125,000.[13] [14] The building would house the factory and offices of the Downey-Farrell Company, a margarine manufacturer that Wrigley was affiliated with.[14] [15] [16] An addition was built in 1917, designed by Postle & Fischer, at a cost of $40,000.[1] [17] In 1923, the building was purchased by the Duz Company, a manufacturer of soap powder, for $384,000.[18] Wrigley re-purchased the building in 1929.[19]

Salvation Army ownership

William Wrigley Jr. gave the Salvation Army use of the building on October 11, 1930 to use as a lodging house for the unemployed.[20] It was named the New Start Lodge and was formally opened at 3:30 pm on October 23, 1930.[21] [22] It contained 2,020 beds, and facilities to feed a similar number.[23] Wrigley donated the property to them outright the following year, and it was re-named Wrigley Lodge.[24] [25] Following World War II, it served as a rehabilitation center for veterans.[26] [27]

In 1946, the Salvation Army began raising funds for the remodeling of Wrigley Lodge and the construction of new buildings.[26] [27] It was remodeled in the Streamline Moderne style, designed by Albert C. Fehlow, at a cost of $400,000, and was re-dedicated at 2 pm on January 18, 1951.[28] [1] [29] [30] A new one-story warehouse was also built behind the north half of the building.[29] The building replaced the Central Social Service center, which was demolished to make way for the construction of the Congress Expressway, and served as a rehabilitation center for homeless and disabled men, with housing accommodations for 150 men.[29] [30] The thrift store, located in the building, funded the center's operations and employed some of the men residing in the building.[29]

In the following years, the building has served the Salvation Army in similar roles, and continues to house a thrift store as part of a multi-building complex owned by the Salvation Army.[1] [31] [32] The building's rooftop water tower was restored in 2017.[33] The Salvation Army announced their intention to sell the complex in August 2019.[34] In February 2021, Preservation Chicago listed Wrigley Lodge as one of Chicago's most endangered buildings.[35] [36] The Salvation Army closed the adult rehabilitation center and thrift store in March 2022.[2]

Notes and References

  1. [American Institute of Architects|American Institute of Architects Chicago]
  2. Myers, Quinn. "Near Tribune Printing Plant Being Considered For Casino", Block Club Chicago. March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  3. The Real Estate and Building Journal. Vol. 33, No. 1. June 27, 1891. pp. 918, 920. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  4. Meyer, Henry C. (1891). The Engineering Record. Vol. 24. p. 227. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  5. "Chicago Real Estate", Chicago Tribune. August 30, 1891. p. 25.
  6. "Hit at Butterine Trade; Vast Chicago Industry Depends on Governor Tanner's Pen", Chicago Tribune. June 8, 1897. p. 9.
  7. "Kills a City Industry; Tanner Ends Butterine Making Here, Manufacturers Say", Chicago Tribune. June 16, 1897. p. 9.
  8. "Will Continue to Make Butterine", Chicago Tribune. July 11, 1897. p. 13.
  9. Farmers' Review. Volume 28, No. 30. July 28, 1897. p. 465. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  10. The Book of Chicagoans: A Biographical Dictionary of Leading Living Men of the City of Chicago. A.N. Marquis & Company. 1911. p. 429. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  11. "Butter Concern Buys Plant Here; Dairy Farm Products Company Gets Jelke Site for Big Establishment", Chicago Tribune. March 23, 1912. p. 13.
  12. "Factory at 509 North Union Street, of Dairy Farm Products Company Is in Operation", Chicago Daily Produce. October 22, 1912. p. 16. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  13. "Wrigley Buys Former Jelke Butter Plant", Chicago Tribune. October 31, 1916. p. 20.
  14. "Wrigley Purchases Plant for Butterine Company", Chicago Tribune. November 5, 1916. p. 19.
  15. Service and Regulatory Announcements. United States Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Industry. June 1917. p. 62. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  16. Poor's and Moody's Manual Consolidated, Industrial Section. Vol. 1. Blair & Co. 1921. p. 537. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  17. The Iron Age. Vol. 99. January–June 1917. p. 294d. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  18. "Latest News of Chicago Industrial Plans", Chicago Commerce. September 8, 1923. p. 40. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  19. "Wrigley Buys 2 Buildings at 509 North Union", Chicago Tribune. November 27, 1929. p. 20.
  20. "New West Side Lodging House for Unemployed is Opened", Chicago Tribune. October 14, 1930. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  21. "Wrigley Officially Presents Building to Salvation Army", Chicago Tribune. June 23, 1931. p. 19.
  22. "Dedicate Home for Chicago's Homeless Today", Chicago Tribune. October 27, 1930. p. 4. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  23. "Shelters to Bar Those Coming to the City for Relief", Chicago Tribune. October 2, 1931. p. 7.
  24. "William Wrigley Jr. Gives Buildings Used by Salvation Army", Chicago Tribune. June 22, 1931. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  25. "Chicago Relief Fund Is Past 3 Million Mark", Chicago Tribune. October 22, 1931. p. 19.
  26. "Salvation Army Seeks $1,500,000; Strategy Set", Chicago Tribune. March 12, 1946. p. 5. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  27. "Salvation Army Enlists North Siders in Drive", Chicago Tribune. April 21, 1946. Part 3, p. 5.
  28. "Wrigley Lodge", Rosin Preservation. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  29. "Salvation Army Will Dedicate Center Today", Chicago Tribune. January 18, 1951. Part 3, p. 3.
  30. "Salvation Army Dedicates New Center Today", Chicago Tribune. January 18, 1951. Part 4, p. 9.
  31. Fawcett, Adrienne. "It's Time to Move It… Or Donate It to Charity", Chicago Tribune. March 31, 1996. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  32. "Salvation Army's Canteens Ready to Roll at Alarm's Ring", Chicago Tribune. January 9, 1966.
  33. "A Rooftop Water Tank is Saved!", Preservation Chicago. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  34. Kozlarz, Jay. "Salvation Army lists River West complex, opening near downtown site for development", Curbed. August 9, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  35. "West Loop Industrial Lofts Chicago 7 2021 ", Preservation Chicago. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  36. Keilman, John. "Chicago lakefront, Catholic churches top newest list of city’s most endangered historic buildings", Chicago Tribune. February 24, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.

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