J. P. Smith Shoe Company Plant

The J. P. Smith Shoe Company Plant is a historic factory building at the corner of North Sangamon Avenue and West Huron Street in the West Town neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The factory was built in 1911-12 for the J. P. Smith Shoe Company, Chicago's second-largest maker of shoes at the time. Horatio R. Wilson, a prolific local architect, designed the building. Wilson's design used metal sash windows to provide light and ventilation to workers, putting it at the forefront of a national trend in industrial construction. The emphasis on proper lighting was a recurring theme in Wilson's work, as he had also designed some of Chicago's first apartments with sun parlors. The design also used brickwork to add decorative features, such as piers and a cornice, to an otherwise functional and unadorned design.[2]

J. P. Smith Shoe Company Plant
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	671-699 N. Sangamon Ave. and 901-921 W. Huron St., Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates	41°53′41″N 87°39′03″W
Area	1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Built	1911-12
Architect	Wilson, Horatio R.
NRHP reference No.	85002842[1]
Added to NRHP	November 14, 1985

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 14, 1985.[1]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. Bluestone, Daniel M. (July 1985). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: J. P. Smith Shoe Company Plant" (PDF). Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved March 31, 2019.