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{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox NRHP
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Schulze Baking Company Plant
| name = Schulze Baking Company Plant
| image = 1914-15 Schulze Baking Company Factory.jpg
| image = 1914-15 Schulze Baking Company Factory.jpg
| caption = Schulze Baking Company Factory (c.1914-15)
| caption = Schulze Baking Company Factory (c.1914-15)
| location = 40 East Garfield Boulevard<br /><small>(55th Street and Wabash Avenue)</small><br />[[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]
| location = 40 East Garfield Boulevard<br /><small>(Garfield Boulevard and Wabash Avenue)</small><br />[[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]
| locmapin = United States Chicago Greater
| locmapin = United States Chicago Greater
| coordinates = {{coord|41|47|44|N|87|37|29|W|region:US-IL_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| lat_degrees = 41
| lat_minutes = 47
| built = 1913
⚫
| architect = John Ahlschlager & Son
| lat_seconds = 44
⚫
| architecture =
| lat_direction = N
⚫
| added = November 12, 1982
| long_degrees = 87
⚫
| refnum = 82000393
| long_minutes = 37
| long_seconds = 29
| long_direction = W
| coord_display = inline,title
| coord_parameters = region:US-IL_type:landmark
| built =1913
⚫
| architect= Ahlschlager,John & Son
⚫
| architecture= No Style Listed
⚫
| added = November 12, 1982
| governing_body = Private
⚫
| refnum=82000393
<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref>
<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref>
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
}}
}}
⚫
'''Schulze Baking Company Plant''' is a [[factory]] building located on the [[South Side (Chicago)|South Side]] of [[Chicago, Illinois]], [[United States]]. It is located at 40 East Garfield Boulevard (also described as 55th Street and Wabash Avenue)<ref name=ToRCFSS>{{cite web|url=http://www.ideals.uiuc.edu/dspace/bitstream/2142/4288/2/engineeringexperv00000i00084_ocr.txt|title=Tests of Reinforced Concrete Flat Slab Structures|accessdate=January 3, 2008|date=January 1916|publisher=University of Illinois|author=Talbot, Arthur N. and Willis A. Slater}}</ref> in the [[Washington Park, Chicago (neighborhood)|Washington Park]] [[Community areas of Chicago|community area]] in [[Cook County, Illinois|Cook County]]. Built in 1914, the building was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on November 12, 1982. Originally built for the Schulze Baking Company, it was the home of the [[Hostess Brands]]' Butternut Bread until 2004.<ref name=GBWPT>{{cite web| url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-09-24/business/0409240329_1_interstate-bakeries-hostess-twinkies-wheat-bread | title=Butternut bread-maker closing Chicago bakery| publisher=[[Chicago Tribune]]|accessdate=November 22, 2012 }}</ref>


⚫
'''Schulze Baking Company Plant''' is a [[factory]] building located on the [[South Side (Chicago)|South Side]] of [[Chicago, Illinois]], [[United States]]. It is located at 40 East Garfield Boulevard (also described as 55th Street and Wabash Avenue)<ref name=ToRCFSS>{{cite web|url=http://www.ideals.uiuc.edu/dspace/bitstream/2142/4288/2/engineeringexperv00000i00084_ocr.txt|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121215031557/http://www.ideals.uiuc.edu/dspace/bitstream/2142/4288/2/engineeringexperv00000i00084_ocr.txt|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-12-15|title=Tests of Reinforced Concrete Flat Slab Structures|access-date=January 3, 2008|date=January 1916|publisher=University of Illinois|author=Talbot, Arthur N. and Willis A. Slater}}</ref> in the [[Washington Park, Chicago (neighborhood)|Washington Park]] [[Community areas of Chicago|community area]] in [[Cook County, Illinois|Cook County]]. Built in 1914, the building was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on November 12, 1982. Originally built for the Schulze Baking Company, it was the home of the [[Hostess Brands]]' Butternut Bread until 2004.<ref name=GBWPT>{{cite news| url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/09/24/butternut-bread-maker-closing-chicago-bakery/| title=Butternut bread-maker closing Chicago bakery| newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]| access-date=November 22, 2012| archive-date=July 18, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150718144149/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-09-24/business/0409240329_1_interstate-bakeries-hostess-twinkies-wheat-bread| url-status=live}}</ref>
⚫
The building features a [[terra cotta]] exterior with ornamentation that pays tribute to [[Louis Sullivan]].<ref name=AGtC/> The original flooring is made of reinforced [[concrete]].<ref name=ToRCFSS/> In the early 21st century, the building fell into a state of disrepair.<ref name=CBC/> In 2016, however, a developer stated that the building was being rehabilitated for [[adaptive reuse]] in 2017 and following years as a [[data center]].<ref name="Harrell">{{cite web| url=http://southsideweekly.com/garfield-wabash/ | title=Garfield & Wabash | publisher=[[South Side Weekly]] |accessdate=March 10, 2016 }}</ref>

⚫
The building features a [[terra cotta]] exterior with ornamentation that pays tribute to [[Louis Sullivan]].<ref name=AGtC/> The original flooring is made of reinforced [[concrete]].<ref name=ToRCFSS/> In the early 21st century, the building fell into a state of disrepair.<ref name=CBC/> In 2016, however, a developer stated that the building was being rehabilitated for [[adaptive reuse]] in 2017 and following years as a [[data center]].<ref name="Harrell">{{cite web | url=http://southsideweekly.com/garfield-wabash/ | title=Garfield & Wabash | date=February 9, 2016 | publisher=[[South Side Weekly]] | access-date=March 10, 2016 | archive-date=March 11, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311081549/http://southsideweekly.com/garfield-wabash/ | url-status=live }}</ref>


==Location and function==
==Location and function==
[[File:Schulze Baking Plant Map.gif|thumb|left|250px|Schulze Plant location ([[Chicago Park District]] - green, [[Dan Ryan Expressway]] - purple)]]
[[File:Schulze Baking Plant Map.gif|thumb|left|250px|Schulze Plant location ([[Chicago Park District]] - green, [[Dan Ryan Expressway]] - purple)]]
The building is located between the western edge of [[Washington Park (Chicago park)|Washington Park]] and the [[Dan Ryan Expressway]] along a section of Garfield Boulevard that formerly hosted prominent businesses such as the Wanzer Milk Company and the Schulze Baking Company. The area has suffered from economic decay and crime. One of the few significant remaining businesses in the old Black Belt was the Butternut Bread Company, which occupied the building.<ref name=GBWPT/>
The building is located between the western edge of [[Washington Park (Chicago park)|Washington Park]] and the [[Dan Ryan Expressway]] along a section of Garfield Boulevard that formerly hosted prominent businesses, including Schulze and the Wanzer Milk Company. The area has suffered from economic decay and crime during the second half of the 20th century. One of the few significant remaining businesses in the old Black Belt during this time was Hostess, which still used the building to make Butternut Bread.<ref name=GBWPT/>

According to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, it currently functions as an Industry/Processing/Extraction - processing site, and its original historical function was as an Agriculture/Subsistence - processing site.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/hargis/Reports/Reports.aspx?RefNumVariable=200346&FormType=Short|title=Property Information Report|accessdate=January 4, 2008|publisher=Illinois Historic Preservation Agency|year=2002}}</ref>


==Baking company==
==Baking company==
[[File:1920 Apron Conveyor.jpg|thumb|left|The Schulze Baking Company's Jeffrey Apron [[Conveyor belt|Conveyor]]. (1920)]]
[[File:1920 Apron Conveyor.jpg|thumb|left|The Schulze Baking Company's Jeffrey Apron [[Conveyor belt|Conveyor]]. (1920)]]


Schulze with its signature Schulze Butternut Bread formed the starting company that eventually became [[Hostess Brands|Interstate Bakeries Corporation/Hostess Brands]]. The business was once Chicago's largest [[wholesale]] business entity.<ref name=GBWPT/> Although, according to [[Form 10-K]] filings by the [[Interstate Bakeries Corporation]] with the [[United States Securities and Exchange Commission]], the Schulze Baking Company was not formed until 1927, many records contradict this claim.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://google.brand.edgar-online.com/EFX_dll/EDGARpro.dll?FetchFilingHTML1?ID=4836809&SessionID=QIuiWCka253FtR7|title=Form 10-K: Interstate Bakeries Corporation|accessdate=January 3, 2008|date=December 20, 2006|publisher=[[United States Securities and Exchange Commission]]}}</ref> Historical accounts of Chicago claim that [[Paul Schulze (baker)|Paul Schulze]], 1910-11 president of the National Association of Master Bakers, started the Schulze Baking Company in 1893 with his brothers.<ref name=CIHaIB>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5v8TAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA429&lpg=PA429&dq=%22Schulze+Baking+Company%22&source=web&ots=GGcq1EWVgt&sig=o2YYrQt3ITbCqakJpTpPmurqGfM&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result|title=Chicago: Its History and Its Builders|accessdate=January 3, 2008|year=1912|volume=Multiple volumes|pages=429|author=Currey, Josiah Seymour}}</ref> Interstate's own company history even confirms the 1893 beginning of Schulze.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Interstate-Bakeries-Corporation-Company-History.html|title=Interstate Bakeries Corporation |accessdate=January 3, 2009|publisher=Funding Universe}}</ref>
Schulze, with its signature Butternut Bread, eventually became [[Hostess Brands|Interstate Bakeries Corporation/Hostess Brands]]. The business was once Chicago's largest [[wholesale]] business entity.<ref name=GBWPT/> Although, according to [[Form 10-K]] filings by the [[Interstate Bakeries Corporation]] with the [[United States Securities and Exchange Commission]], the Schulze Baking Company was not formed until 1927, many records contradict this claim.<ref name="INTERSTATE-BAKERIES-CORP-Dec-2006-10-K">{{cite web |url=http://edgar.secdatabase.com/1895/95013706013959/filing-main.htm |title=INTERSTATE BAKERIES CORP, Form 10-K, Annual Report, Filing Date Dec 21, 2006 |publisher=secdatabase.com |access-date=May 15, 2018 |archive-date=May 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516103443/http://edgar.secdatabase.com/1895/95013706013959/filing-main.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Historical accounts of Chicago claim that [[Paul Schulze (baker)|Paul Schulze]], 1910-11 president of the National Association of Master Bakers, started the Schulze Baking Company in 1893 with his brothers.<ref name=CIHaIB>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5v8TAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Schulze+Baking+Company%22&pg=PA429|title=Chicago: Its History and Its Builders|access-date=January 3, 2008|year=1912|volume=Multiple volumes|pages=429|author=Currey, Josiah Seymour|journal=|archive-date=April 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405072401/https://books.google.com/books?id=5v8TAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Schulze+Baking+Company%22&pg=PA429|url-status=live}}</ref> Interstate's own company history even confirms the 1893 beginning of Schulze.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Interstate-Bakeries-Corporation-Company-History.html|title=Interstate Bakeries Corporation|access-date=January 3, 2009|publisher=Funding Universe|archive-date=December 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205082237/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Interstate-Bakeries-Corporation-Company-History.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


In 1912, prior to the construction of the plant, the company had four baking plants throughout the city of Chicago and general offices in the [[Chicago Stock Exchange]] Building on [[LaSalle Street]] in the [[Chicago Loop]].<ref name=CIHaIB/> In the 1910s, the company had extensive legal battles regarding protecting its [[trademark]]s.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mVILAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA171&lpg=PA171&dq=%22Schulze+Baking+Company%22|title=Decisions of the Commissioner Patents and of the United States Courts Patent Trade-mark Copyright Cases, 1917|accessdate=January 3, 2008|year =1917|volume=234-245|page=171|publisher=[[United States Patent Office]]/[[United States Department of the Interior]]}}</ref>
In 1912, prior to the construction of the plant, the company had four baking plants throughout the city of Chicago and general offices in the [[Chicago Stock Exchange]] Building on [[LaSalle Street]] in the [[Chicago Loop]].<ref name=CIHaIB/> In the 1910s, the company had extensive legal battles regarding protecting its [[trademark]]s.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mVILAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Schulze+Baking+Company%22&pg=PA171|title=Decisions of the Commissioner Patents and of the United States Courts Patent Trade-mark Copyright Cases, 1917|access-date=January 3, 2008|year=1917|volume=234-245|page=171|publisher=[[United States Patent Office]]/[[United States Department of the Interior]]|journal=|archive-date=April 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405072446/https://books.google.com/books?id=mVILAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Schulze+Baking+Company%22&pg=PA171|url-status=live}}</ref>


In 1921 Paul Schulze sold control of the company to [[Ralph Leroy Nafziger]].<ref name="schulzeburch.com">http://www.schulzeburch.com/about/index.asp</ref> In 1930 Nafziger announced the formation of Interstate Bakeries through the merger of Schulze Baking and Western Bakeries of Los Angeles to form Interstate Bakeries. Schulze and Western continued to maintain their own separate companies under the Interstate umbrella until 1937 when Schulze formally became Interstate.
In 1921, Paul Schulze sold control of the company to [[Ralph Leroy Nafziger]].<ref name="schulzeburch.com">{{Cite web |url=http://www.schulzeburch.com/about/index.asp |title=Our History &#124; Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company |access-date=November 23, 2012 |archive-date=January 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130101121434/http://www.schulzeburch.com/about/index.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1930, Nafziger announced the formation of Interstate Bakeries through the merger of Schulze Baking and Western Bakeries of Los Angeles to form Interstate Bakeries. Schulze and Western continued to maintain their own separate companies under the Interstate umbrella until 1937, when Schulze formally became Interstate.


Paul Schulze went on to operate small bakeries elsewhere under the name of Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company.<ref name="schulzeburch.com"/>
Paul Schulze went on to operate small bakeries elsewhere under the name of Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company.<ref name="schulzeburch.com"/>


==Architecture==
==Architecture==
The building is a white [[terra cotta]] structure designed by John Ahlschlager in 1914 for the Schulze Baking Company.<ref name=GBWPT/> The terra cotta walls were five storeys high.<ref name=AGtC>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aQE21zTaju8C&pg=PA428&lpg=PA428&dq=%22Schulze+Baking+Company%22|title=AIA Guide to Chicago|edition=2nd|pages=428|editor=Sinkevitch, Alice|chapter=South Side: Chicago Baking Company, International Brands Corporation (Schulze Baking Company)|publisher=Harcourt, Inc.|isbn=0-15-602908-1|year=2004|accessdate=January 3, 2008}}</ref> The building featured blue lettering, foliated [[cornice]] ornamentation, and stringcourses of [[Rosette (design)|rosette]]s.<ref name=AGtC/> The building uses 700 windows grouped to complement the ornamentation's allusion to themes of nature and purity.<ref name=AGtC/> The ornamentation is considered [[Abstract art|abstract]], [[Louis Sullivan|Sullivanesque]] and modern.<ref name=AGtC/> The company used Apron [[Conveyor belt|conveyor]] manufactured by the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of [[Columbus, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/ohiopix/image.cfm?&start=1&searchfield=LCSubject&searchterm=Conveying%20machinery&ID=2265|title=Jeffrey Apron Conveyor|accessdate=January 3, 2008|publisher=[[Ohio Historical Society]]|work=Ohio Pix}}</ref> A lengthy low industrial complex extends northward behind the main five-story building.<ref name=CBC>{{cite web|url=http://achicagosojourn.blogspot.com/2008/10/schulze-baking-company.html|title=Chicago Baking Company|accessdate=February 3, 2009|date=October 12, 2008|publisher=A Chicago Sojourn|author=Powers, Robert}}</ref>
The building is a white [[terra cotta]] structure designed by John Ahlschlager in 1914 for the Schulze Baking Company.<ref name=GBWPT/> The terra cotta walls were five storeys high.<ref name=AGtC>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aQE21zTaju8C&q=%22Schulze+Baking+Company%22&pg=PA428|title=AIA Guide to Chicago|edition=2nd|pages=428|editor=Sinkevitch, Alice|chapter=South Side: Chicago Baking Company, International Brands Corporation (Schulze Baking Company)|publisher=Harcourt, Inc.|isbn=0-15-602908-1|year=2004|access-date=January 3, 2008|archive-date=April 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405072424/https://books.google.com/books?id=aQE21zTaju8C&q=%22Schulze+Baking+Company%22&pg=PA428|url-status=live}}</ref> The building featured blue lettering, foliated [[cornice]] ornamentation, and stringcourses of [[Rosette (design)|rosette]]s.<ref name=AGtC/> The building uses 700 windows grouped to complement the ornamentation's allusion to themes of nature and purity.<ref name=AGtC/> The ornamentation is considered [[Abstract art|abstract]], [[Louis Sullivan|Sullivanesque]] and modern.<ref name=AGtC/> The company used Apron [[Conveyor belt|conveyor]] manufactured by the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of [[Columbus, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/ohiopix/image.cfm?&start=1&searchfield=LCSubject&searchterm=Conveying%20machinery&ID=2265|title=Jeffrey Apron Conveyor|access-date=January 3, 2008|publisher=[[Ohio Historical Society]]|work=Ohio Pix|archive-date=December 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230220927/http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/ohiopix/Image.cfm?&start=1&searchfield=LCSubject&searchterm=Conveying%20machinery&ID=2265|url-status=live}}</ref> A lengthy low industrial complex extends northward behind the main five-story building.<ref name=CBC>{{cite web|url=http://achicagosojourn.blogspot.com/2008/10/schulze-baking-company.html|title=Chicago Baking Company|access-date=February 3, 2009|date=October 12, 2008|publisher=A Chicago Sojourn|author=Powers, Robert|archive-date=July 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708021942/http://achicagosojourn.blogspot.com/2008/10/schulze-baking-company.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


The structure has a flat [[concrete slab]] floor with four-way reinforcement designed to support {{convert|300|psi|kPa}}.<ref name=ToRCFSS/> The dimensions of the building {{convert|298|ft|4|in|m}} by {{convert|160|ft|m}} and it is composed of floor space segmented into {{convert|17|ft|6|in|m}} by {{convert|20|ft|m}}.<ref name=ToRCFSS/> The second floor is {{convert|9|in|cm}} thick except in the {{convert|7|ft|6|in|m}} square surrounding each column where it is {{convert|14|in|cm}} thick.<ref name=ToRCFSS/>
The structure has a flat [[concrete slab]] floor with four-way reinforcement designed to support {{convert|300|psi|kPa}}.<ref name=ToRCFSS/> The dimensions of the building {{convert|298|ft|4|in|m}} by {{convert|160|ft|m}} and it is composed of floor space segmented into {{convert|17|ft|6|in|m}} by {{convert|20|ft|m}}.<ref name=ToRCFSS/> The second floor is {{convert|9|in|cm}} thick except in the {{convert|7|ft|6|in|m}} square surrounding each column where it is {{convert|14|in|cm}} thick.<ref name=ToRCFSS/>


As of late 2008, the building was showing signs of wear, disrepair and neglect. At least one terra cotta [[cornice]] was missing, and the building had numerous walkway coverings to protect passersby from falling debris such as further terra cotta loss. One side wall was propped up with wood beams at 45&nbsp;degree angles. In addition, the building had some [[graffiti]] markings.<ref name=CBC/> However, developer Ghian Foreman stated in February 2016 that the rehabilitation of the former Shulze Baking Company plant into a data center, to be called the Midway Technology Center, was on schedule for operation in 2017. The adaptive reuse project allegedly involved the investment of more than $130 million.<ref name="Harrell"/>
As of late 2008, the building was showing signs of wear, disrepair, and neglect. At least one terra cotta [[cornice]] was missing, and the building had numerous walkway coverings to protect passersby from falling debris such as further terra cotta loss. One side wall was propped up with wood beams at 45&nbsp;degree angles. In addition, the building had some [[graffiti]] markings.<ref name=CBC/> However, developer Ghian Foreman stated in February 2016 that the rehabilitation of the former Schulze Baking Company plant into a data center, to be called the Midway Technology Center, was on schedule for operation in 2017. The adaptive reuse project allegedly involved the investment of more than $130 million.<ref name="Harrell"/>


{{clear}}
{{clear}}
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[[Category:Industrial buildings completed in 1914]]
[[Category:Industrial buildings completed in 1914]]
[[Category:Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago]]
[[Category:Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Chicago]]
[[Category:Landmarks in Chicago]]
[[Category:Bakeries of the United States]]
[[Category:Bakeries of the United States]]

Latest revision as of 03:35, 11 September 2024

Schulze Baking Company Plant
Schulze Baking Company Factory (c.1914-15)
Schulze Baking Company Plant is located in Greater Chicago
Schulze Baking Company Plant
Location40 East Garfield Boulevard
(Garfield Boulevard and Wabash Avenue)
Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates41°47′44″N 87°37′29″W / 41.79556°N 87.62472°W / 41.79556; -87.62472
Built1913
ArchitectJohn Ahlschlager & Son
NRHP reference No.82000393 [1]
Added to NRHPNovember 12, 1982

Schulze Baking Company Plant is a factory building located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is located at 40 East Garfield Boulevard (also described as 55th Street and Wabash Avenue)[2] in the Washington Park community area in Cook County. Built in 1914, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 12, 1982. Originally built for the Schulze Baking Company, it was the home of the Hostess Brands' Butternut Bread until 2004.[3]

The building features a terra cotta exterior with ornamentation that pays tribute to Louis Sullivan.[4] The original flooring is made of reinforced concrete.[2] In the early 21st century, the building fell into a state of disrepair.[5] In 2016, however, a developer stated that the building was being rehabilitated for adaptive reuse in 2017 and following years as a data center.[6]

Location and function

[edit]
Schulze Plant location (Chicago Park District - green, Dan Ryan Expressway - purple)

The building is located between the western edge of Washington Park and the Dan Ryan Expressway along a section of Garfield Boulevard that formerly hosted prominent businesses, including Schulze and the Wanzer Milk Company. The area has suffered from economic decay and crime during the second half of the 20th century. One of the few significant remaining businesses in the old Black Belt during this time was Hostess, which still used the building to make Butternut Bread.[3]

Baking company

[edit]
The Schulze Baking Company's Jeffrey Apron Conveyor. (1920)

Schulze, with its signature Butternut Bread, eventually became Interstate Bakeries Corporation/Hostess Brands. The business was once Chicago's largest wholesale business entity.[3] Although, according to Form 10-K filings by the Interstate Bakeries Corporation with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the Schulze Baking Company was not formed until 1927, many records contradict this claim.[7] Historical accounts of Chicago claim that Paul Schulze, 1910-11 president of the National Association of Master Bakers, started the Schulze Baking Company in 1893 with his brothers.[8] Interstate's own company history even confirms the 1893 beginning of Schulze.[9]

In 1912, prior to the construction of the plant, the company had four baking plants throughout the city of Chicago and general offices in the Chicago Stock Exchange Building on LaSalle Street in the Chicago Loop.[8] In the 1910s, the company had extensive legal battles regarding protecting its trademarks.[10]

In 1921, Paul Schulze sold control of the company to Ralph Leroy Nafziger.[11] In 1930, Nafziger announced the formation of Interstate Bakeries through the merger of Schulze Baking and Western Bakeries of Los Angeles to form Interstate Bakeries. Schulze and Western continued to maintain their own separate companies under the Interstate umbrella until 1937, when Schulze formally became Interstate.

Paul Schulze went on to operate small bakeries elsewhere under the name of Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company.[11]

Architecture

[edit]

The building is a white terra cotta structure designed by John Ahlschlager in 1914 for the Schulze Baking Company.[3] The terra cotta walls were five storeys high.[4] The building featured blue lettering, foliated cornice ornamentation, and stringcourses of rosettes.[4] The building uses 700 windows grouped to complement the ornamentation's allusion to themes of nature and purity.[4] The ornamentation is considered abstract, Sullivanesque and modern.[4] The company used Apron conveyor manufactured by the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of Columbus, Ohio.[12] A lengthy low industrial complex extends northward behind the main five-story building.[5]

The structure has a flat concrete slab floor with four-way reinforcement designed to support 300 pounds per square inch (2,100 kPa).[2] The dimensions of the building 298 feet 4 inches (90.93 m) by 160 feet (49 m) and it is composed of floor space segmented into 17 feet 6 inches (5.33 m) by 20 feet (6.1 m).[2] The second floor is 9 inches (23 cm) thick except in the 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) square surrounding each column where it is 14 inches (36 cm) thick.[2]

As of late 2008, the building was showing signs of wear, disrepair, and neglect. At least one terra cotta cornice was missing, and the building had numerous walkway coverings to protect passersby from falling debris such as further terra cotta loss. One side wall was propped up with wood beams at 45 degree angles. In addition, the building had some graffiti markings.[5] However, developer Ghian Foreman stated in February 2016 that the rehabilitation of the former Schulze Baking Company plant into a data center, to be called the Midway Technology Center, was on schedule for operation in 2017. The adaptive reuse project allegedly involved the investment of more than $130 million.[6]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ^ a b c d e Talbot, Arthur N. and Willis A. Slater (January 1916). "Tests of Reinforced Concrete Flat Slab Structures". University of Illinois. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d "Butternut bread-maker closing Chicago bakery". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 18, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e Sinkevitch, Alice, ed. (2004). "South Side: Chicago Baking Company, International Brands Corporation (Schulze Baking Company)". AIA Guide to Chicago (2nd ed.). Harcourt, Inc. p. 428. ISBN 0-15-602908-1. Archived from the original on April 5, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c Powers, Robert (October 12, 2008). "Chicago Baking Company". A Chicago Sojourn. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  6. ^ a b "Garfield & Wabash". South Side Weekly. February 9, 2016. Archived from the original on March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
  7. ^ "INTERSTATE BAKERIES CORP, Form 10-K, Annual Report, Filing Date Dec 21, 2006". secdatabase.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Currey, Josiah Seymour (1912). "Chicago: Its History and Its Builders". Multiple volumes: 429. Archived from the original on April 5, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2008. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ^ "Interstate Bakeries Corporation". Funding Universe. Archived from the original on December 5, 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  10. ^ "Decisions of the Commissioner Patents and of the United States Courts Patent Trade-mark Copyright Cases, 1917". 234–245. United States Patent Office/United States Department of the Interior. 1917: 171. Archived from the original on April 5, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2008. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ^ a b "Our History | Schulze and Burch Biscuit Company". Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
  12. ^ "Jeffrey Apron Conveyor". Ohio Pix. Ohio Historical Society. Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
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