 |
| Fulton House as it looks today (JSB Photo) (Minus, of course, the new tower at Wolf Point) |
As
the year began in 1898 The Chicago
Tribune announced in its real estate section that a radically new warehouse was to
be erected on the west side of the river just north of Wolf Point. John Druecker’s new warehouse, according to
the paper, was “regarded as one of the best examples of strictly fireproof
construction in this city, if not in the United States.” [Chicago
Tribune, January 16, 1898]
 |
| The preliminary rendering of the warehouse Chicago Tribune, January 16, 1898 |
No
wood was used in construction of the building, and the steel frame of the
structure was completely encased in concrete with “the nearest approach of the steel to
the air at any point . . . over three inches, and the columns . . . filled in
solidly internally as well as externally with the same material.” This new system, patented by the architect, Frank
B. Abbott, created a building that has stood the test of time.
The
building would stand on piles, driven to hard-pan clay, the piles being the
largest ever driven in the city, going down 55 feet. Three high speed elevators would
carry freight, which could be moved directly from railroad cars on the west
side of the building. The entire east
side of the building would have massive steel doors that could be rolled open
to handle freight brought in on the river.
 |
| The warehouse as it looked in 1910 Ryerson and Burnhma Archives |
The
whole building was thrown up before the middle of that year, costing about
$300,000. Ten years later an addition to
the north was added and the whole complex was turned into a warehouse that
provided cold storage.
In
the late 1970’s Chicago architect Harry Weese came up with a plan to convert
the old building into . . .
something. That something eventually turned into a residential community. In his oral history Weese
stated, “The joy and stimulus in architecture is the discovery of fresh
combinations of old ingredients appropriate to present problems. I’d rather be right than contemporary.”
 |
| One of Harry Weese's preliminary drawings Ryerson-Burnham Archives |
In
his plans for the conversion of the North American Cold Storage building into
the residences at Fulton House, Weese lived up to that statement. In doing so he created one of the more
memorable residential buildings on the river. Along with the East Bank Club
across the river that rose at approximately the same time as Weese’s
conversion, the North branch of the river began a dramatic makeover from a
sketchy series of rundown warehouses to one of the premier residential areas
downtown.
 |
| The condition of the building in 1976 when Harry Weese acquired it Ryerson-Burnham Archives |
Fulton
House at 345 North Canal Street, with its impressive balconies and thick walls,
has approximately 106 owner-owned apartments with prices averaging in the
mid-to-high 200’s. It’s another success
story in which a building on its last legs, a reminder of a bygone era in
Chicago, a time of immense river and railroad traffic, was saved and
re-purposed by a man who remains both right and contemporary.
Posts
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John Druecker was from Port Washington WI (well actually he was from Luxembourg first)
I did a bunch of research on him.
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Fulton House is a great historical building. I was really amused by this article, thank you. It was very interesting to know about this building more from historical side. It’s a pity you didn’t add new photos of Fulton House it’s really beautiful now. I would definitely check it out when I will visit Windy City.
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I recall this building having 4 foot thick walls filled with horse hair and when it's cold storage use was discontinued it took a year to warm up!
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