Building Details

The Paper Place Lofts, built in 1915

Designed by preeminent Chicago architect Daniel Burnham, and built during the last great period of development of the South Loop printing house district from 1900 – 1914.

The Paper Place Loft building was designed to provide general office and warehouse facilities for businesses needing space near Grand Central Station, which once stood across Wells St., to the west. The clearly functional concrete frame structure and more modern exterior brick work represent a departure from earlier Romanesque revival buildings such as the original Lakeside Press building and the Donahue building.

The building is also known as the Polk-Wells Building.

What Makes Our Building Different

The Paper Place Lofts has many unique and distinguishing features that you won't find in any other Chicago-land building. For example, you may notice from the photos on this website that the lower portion of the columns that accent the units and common area has a rustic metal covering on them. This covering served to protect the columns allowing work crews to move heavy equipment throughout the building. With the passing of time these metal coverings have oxidized giving each unit an edgy urban appeal.

The "barreled ceilings" of each unit are covered with Plaster of Paris, adding additional vintage charm. Some unit owners have chipped away at the plaster to be pleasantly surprised by terracotta tiles which lie beneath.

AMENITIES

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