Yukon Building / former Bock Building

Address: 400 S. Clark Street/ 105-111 W. Van Buren Street
Architect: Holabird & Roche
Date: 1898
Style: Chicago Commercial Style
Neighborhood: Chicago Loop 

Overview

The two-story Yukon Building, later renamed the Bock Building, was financed and developed by the Brooks Brothers of Boston in 1898. It was designed by Holabird & Roche. Initial plans were for a much larger building. The simplicity of the building’s design, integration of continuous glass storefronts and bands of continuous windows on the second floor make it truly modern for its era. Most likely conceived as a reasonably priced improvement of the property, the building’s iron and glass facades and bands of ribbon-windows at its second floor anticipate designs popularized decades in the future.

The Yukon Building is considered an early example of/oldest extant “taxpayer building” in the central area of Chicago. The term “taxpayer building” describes a modest-scale structure that earned enough funds to cover the yearly tax bill and give the owners a small profit or monetary return. For many decades, these smaller structures have been repeatedly targeted for redevelopment projects across the Loop, often replaced with large office buildings or, as on Van Buren Street, multi-story parking garages.

Preservation Chicago is concerned that recent large vacancies, including several storefronts, and a sales listing may signal an uncertain future for this remarkable historic structure.

History

Originally conceived as an eight-story or a twelve-story building, the Yukon Building was designed by noted Chicago architectural firm Holabird and Roche in March of 1898. In the months that followed, published plans reflected a more modest two-story development, the building now anchoring the southwest corner of Clark and Van Buren Streets. A financial panic in the mid-to-late 1890s, along with construction of the Union Loop Elevated structure along Van Buren Street in 1897, most likely impacted the desirability of the site for a tall commercial office building.

The “New Yukon Building” was described in the May 8, 1898 Chicago Tribune with the banner headline “Two-Story Down-Town Building – Unique Structure to be Erected at Van Buren and Clark.” The building was described as “constructed principally (of ornamental iron and) plate glass, giving good light for the interior.”

The project was financed by Peter Chardon Brooks III and Shepherd Brooks, known as the Brooks Brothers of Boston, who had financed a number of remarkable early Chicago steel-framed buildings that are recognized as some of the earliest skyscrapers. These innovative and remarkable buildings include Burnham & Root’s Rookery Building (1885) and Holabird & Roche’s Montauk Block (1882-1902), the Monadnock Building (1891), and the Marquette Building (1893). Several of them are published frequently in the annals of skyscraper construction and have been designated as Chicago Landmarks. These buildings are among 11 developed by the Brooks Brothers that were selected as part of a preliminary proposal by the City of Chicago, Preservation Chicago and members of the architectural community to create a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Loop. The proposal was submitted to ICOMOS (The International Council on Monuments and Sites) for consideration under the category “Early Chicago Skyscrapers.”

Importantly, the Yukon Building is a survivor of Chicago’s “Old Chinatown,” predating the movement of the Chinese Community and businesses further south to 22nd Street/Cermak Road and Wentworth in the 1920s. The area was also known as a small vice district for taverns and other businesses called “Little Cheyenne” after a town in Wyoming, comparing this immediate vicinity with a somewhat unruly perception of a Wild West settlement. Much of this area has been cleared away by redevelopment projects over the past half century, including the Metropolitan Correctional Center, the Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building and the expansion of the Chicago Board of Trade and other nearby institutions and facilities.

Threat

The Yukon Building has been part of the Chicago Loop since 1898. Unfortunately, it was eventually positioned under the Loop Elevated structure along Van Buren Street and South Clark Street. Fortunately, this location likely protected it from redevelopment proposals. This area of Downtown Chicago has been heavily revisioned over the last 50 years, with many buildings that fronted busy thoroughfares under the shadow of the Loop Elevated demolished and replaced with larger developments.

Realizing the small two-story scale of the Yukon Building and the vacancy of several storefronts and other parts of the building, we have been concerned about the Yukon’s future for some time. In 2016 under the category of “Old Chinatown,” we selected the Yukon Building and other modest structures adjoining the building to the south and fronting South Clark Street as one of our Chicago 7 Most Endangered Buildings. This certainly brought an awareness to the Yukon Building and the history of the remaining buildings on the block. However, Preservation Chicago is more concerned now that the building has been listed for sale.

Several other small historic businesses have also been impacted by fallout from the Covid Pandemic and the potential sales listing of the Yukon Building, including two Chicago Legacy Businesses, Boni Vino Italian Restaurant and the Sky Ride Tap.

Recommendations

The Yukon Building is a fine example of a modest, yet beautiful and innovative structure by one of Chicago’s most prolific architectural firms of the late 19th century. This modest commission, employing a glass and metal structure, is unique in its composition and its program at the time represents a paired-down design, much different than the more formal metal-framed historic office buildings for which the Holabird & Roche firm is recognized. The simplicity of the Yukon Building, with its bands of ribbon-windows, and glass storefronts is a particularly forward design–futuristic for its time. It’s also remarkable that the structure has survived decades of development in the South Loop and even wholesale land clearances of the past, for surface and multi-storied parking lots and large additions to existing nearby structures.

Preservation Chicago is of the opinion that the Yukon Building stands as a fine and rare example of a small commission, by one of Chicago most recognized and prolific architecture firms. The building also captures a history related to Chinese culture in an age where we are now recognizing and protecting historic Chinatowns across the nation.

As the Yukon Building remains as one of the last structures of Chicago’s “Old Chinatown,” before its move southward in the 1920s to the Armour Square Community, we are of the opinion that the building should be protected and given a Chicago Landmark designation, noting its architectural, historical and cultural significance to our city.

We remain hopeful that listing the Yukon Building as a 2026 Preservation Chicago–Chicago 7 Most Endangered Building, will further encourage a new purchaser and good steward, interested in restoring and reusing this remarkable structure.