22 Mar photographic survey of john ahlschlager-designed sullivanesuque style cobalt blue and creamed colored terra cotta ornament adorning the schulze baking company plant
ongoing photographic survey of john ahlschlager-designed sullivanesuque style cobalt blue and creamed colored terra cotta ornament adorning the schulze baking company plant (1913-14), located at 40 east garfield blvd., chicago, il.
the richly colored terra cotta ornament was executed by the northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, il.
schulze baking company plant is a factory building on chicago’s south side (40 east garfield blvd./55th st. & wabash ave) in the washington park community area of cook county, illinois, usa.
built in 1914, it was listed on the national register of historic places in 1982. the plant originally served the schulze baking company and later hostess brands’ butternut bread until 2004.
it features a terra cotta exterior with sullivanenesque ornamentation and has reinforced concrete floors. in the early 21st century, the building deteriorated; several redevelopment attempts, including converting it into a data center, have failed, and it’s among the city’s most at-risk buildings for demolition.
the plant sits between washington park and the dan ryan expressway, in an area once bustling with businesses but later hit by economic decline. for decades, the bakery remained one of the few significant operations in the neighborhood.
schulze baking became part of interstate bakeries corporation/hostess brands and was once chicago’s largest wholesale bakery. while some records claim schulze baking began in 1927, multiple sources state it started in 1893 under paul schulze. by 1912, the company operated four bakeries across chicago. schulze sold control to ralph leroy nafziger in 1921, who later merged the business to form interstate bakeries.
designed by john ahlschlager, the five-story white terra cotta structure stands out for its sullivanesque ornamentation, blue lettering, and themed architectural details. the building contains 700 decorated windows, a reinforced concrete slab floor, and industrial conveyor systems.
as of 2008, the structure showed significant neglect, with missing elements and makeshift supports. despite an announced $130 million redevelopment plan, the project was never completed, and the building’s future remains uncertain.
