Embedded in a historically significant South Side manufacturing district, this grand old factory once hosted a proud company serving a specific ethnic community (and a minority of interested outsiders) off-and-on for about 40 years. Another business with the same calling preceded it, utilizing the space from 1902 to 1910. The second company ceased its operations shortly after WWII, and the structure sat vacant for decades until demolition a few years ago. The business was lucky to have survived the Great Depression and another major disruption (and we're not talking war). Changing consumer preferences and a lack of broad market appeal eventually did the company in, and vestiges of the product and its once-loyal clientele are hard to track down. The site, near the South Branch of the Chicago River, is still deeply embedded in industrial zone, with lively residential districts on three sides. Time to name that corner!
·CornerSpotter [Curbed Chicago]
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