Archer Daniels Midland Wheat Mill

The Archer Daniels Midland Wheat Mill was a plant in Chicago's Fulton Market District. The complex included brick loft buildings, a grain elevator, and silos.[1] The oldest buildings in the complex were built in 1897 and were designed by William Carbys Zimmerman and John J. Flanders.[1][2][3][4] It originally served as Eckhart & Swan's wheat and rye mill.[1][2][3][4]

Archer Daniels Midland Wheat Mill
General information
Location1300 W. Carroll Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates41°53′16.8″N 87°39′35.1″W
Completed1897–1948
Demolished2021
Technical details
Floor area250,000 sq ft (23,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)William Carbys Zimmerman & John J. Flanders

History

In 1896, Eckhart & Swan purchased the Hess elevators, on Carroll Avenue, between Ada and Elizabeth street, for $75,000.[5][6] In 1897, Eckhart & Swan began constructing a new wheat and rye mill, at a cost of between $250,000 and $300,000, replacing their existing mill at Canal and Fulton.[2][6][3] It was the largest mill in Illinois.[2] In 1909, Eckhart & Swan Milling Company's name was changed to the B. A. Eckhart Milling Company.[7]

An addition was built at the corner of Carroll and Elizabeth in 1910.[8] The grain elevator was built in 1927, and was designed by M. A. Lang.[8][9] In 1927, Eckhart purchased an adjoining property on Elizabeth Street, to build an addition to their plant.[10] The property had been the site of the Puritan Mills feed plant, which burned down the previous year.[10][11] New grain silos were built by Bulley & Andrews in 1948.[8][9]

In 1964, Dixie Portland Flour Mills purchased Eckhart Milling Company.[12] In 1990, Archer Daniels Midland purchased the plant for $14 million.[13] In 2017, Archer Daniels Midland announced that it intended to build a new plant in Mendota, Illinois and close their plant in Chicago.[13][14] In 2018, the plant was sold to Sterling Bay for approximately $25 million.[15][16] Sterling Bay began demolishing the mill on February 11, 2021.[8] Initial reports stated that Sterling Bay planned to build a Metra station on the site.[15][16][1] In February 2021, Preservation Chicago listed the complex as one of Chicago's most endangered buildings.[9][17]

Fires

On March 26, 1912, a suction fan overheated and ignited waste in a wheat cleaning room, starting a fire.[18] The fire was contained to the northern half of the four story building, due to a worker closing a fireproof door.[18] After the firefighters left, a dust explosion caused a partial structural collapse, killing one worker.[18]

On March 18, 1970, an explosion occurred in a storage room on the sixth floor, killing one worker and injuring three, and causing the collapse of the top two floors of the northern edge of the building.[19] Many of the bricks fell onto a freight car parked on tracks to the north of the building.[19] Damage was estimated at $50,000.[19]

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References
  1. "Threatened: Fulton Market Grain Silos and Historic Loft Buildings Sold to Sterling Bay", Preservation Chicago. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  2. "Largest in the State; Flour Mill of 2,200 Barrels Capacity to Be Built", Chicago Tribune. August 29, 1897. p. 34.
  3. "Manufacturing and Building", The Economist. August 7, 1897. p. 152 Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  4. "Synopsis of Building News", The Inland Architect and News Record. Vol 30, No. 1. August 1897. p. 10. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  5. "Big Flour Mill Planned; Eckhart & Swan to Build a Plant on the Pan-Handle Road", Chicago Tribune. July 12, 1896. p. 39.
  6. "Among the Mills", The Roller Mill. Vol 16, No. 3. September 1897. p. 163. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  7. Rowe, Frederick A.; Moses, Joseph W. The National Corporation Reporter. Vol. 39, No. 12. November 4, 1909. p. 365. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  8. Ori, Ryan. "Sterling Bay is taking down a late-1800s flour mill in Fulton Market, despite efforts by preservationists", Chicago Tribune. February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  9. "West Loop Industrial Lofts Chicago 7 2021 Archived 2021-03-15 at the Wayback Machine", Preservation Chicago. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  10. Chase, Al. "Eckhart Milling Buys Site for Big Warehouse", Chicago Tribune. October 11, 1927. p. 30.
  11. "Fire Destroys Big West Side Grain Plant", Chicago Tribune. October 13, 1926. p. 1.
  12. "Dixie Portland Buys Eckhart Flour Mills", Chicago Tribune. July 12, 1964 p. D3.
  13. Channick, Robert. "ADM to close Fulton Market wheat mill for new LaSalle County plant", Chicago Tribune. June 2, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  14. "What’s That Building? Archer Daniels Midland's Fulton Market Plant", WBEZ. November 8, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  15. Ori, Ryan. "Sterling Bay buying ADM wheat mill in Fulton Market, eyes adding Metra station", Chicago Tribune. August 23, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  16. Kozlarz, Jay. "New Metra station could replace old Fulton Market wheat mill", Curbed. August 24, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  17. 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.
  18. "Recall By Chief Saves 25 Firemen: Dust Explosion Kills Workmen Just After the Fire Fighters Retire – Hero Closes Fire Door – Employee of B. A. Eckhart Mill prevents Spread of Flames; Loss $150,000", Chicago Tribune. March 27, 1912. p. 3.
  19. Koziol, Ronald. "1 Killed, 3 Injured as Blast Rips a Flour Storage Area", Chicago Tribune. March 19, 1970. Section 1B, p. 3.
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