Architects: George S. Kingsley
Address: 7613 N. Paulina Street
Date: 1921
Style: Neighborhood Vernacular
Neighborhoods: Rogers Park
OVERVIEW
The Werner Brothers Storage Warehouse at 7613 N. Paulina Street reflects a time when storage companies took great pride in their buildings, hiring renowned architects to create majestic, sturdy, and stunning contributions to Chicago’s built landscape. Designed by George S. Kingsley and completed in 1921, this Rogers Park jewel is one of the city’s finest examples of this era, fitted with intricate, monochromatic terra cotta and bringing visual beauty to a typically unexceptional building type.
In 2022, plans were announced to demolish the Werner Brothers Storage Warehouse to build an affordable, transit-oriented residential development, of similar size and height to the existing building. Preservation Chicago believes that both affordable housing and historic preservation can be achieved in this proposed development.
Historic preservation is highly compatible with affordable housing and we strongly encourage the reuse and incorporation of this beautiful historic structure, particularly its terra cotta cladding, into the new construction. Preservation Chicago support new affordable housing units and transit-oriented development as necessary components of healthy communities. Through collaboration between the local community, developers, and preservationists, we are confident that both goals of providing affordable housing and retaining historic architecture can be met, resulting in an even more successful and dynamic project. Additionally, if historic preservation was pursued, the 20% Federal Historic Tax Credit could provide millions of additional development dollars to the project, which could be used to build additional affordable units
HISTORY
On October 3, 1921, a permit was pulled to build a 6-story brick storage building at 7613 N. Paulina St. for the Werner Brothers Fire-Proof Storage Company for an estimated cost of $90,000. Architect George S. Kingsley prepared plans for the building while H. Moreland, a prolific and accomplished builder of his time, was listed as the contractor. By 1922, the building had been completed and on September 10 of that same year, the Werner Bros. took out an advertisement in the Chicago Tribune announcing the building as “Chicago’s Most Beautiful Warehouse,” with a photo of a grand, two-story office lobby. Werner Bros. referred to the building as Warehouse No. 6.
Werner Bros. commissioned Kingsley to create an ornate façade for their storage warehouse because Kingsley, a “promotion-minded architect,” had by this time developed a reputation for skillfully bringing elegant revival styles to every day storage structures as a form of marketing. He was quoted in 1923 as saying, “Good architecture is good advertising. Twenty or twenty-five thousand dollars is an investment cheaper than billboard rental, more lasting, equally effective, and in better taste. People who store furniture generally live in artistic homes. They will appreciate their furs and pianos being kept in a beautiful building.”
By 1921, Kingsley had already built several of these elaborate structures for Chicago’s many storage companies. In addition to his work on the Werner Brothers Storage Warehouse, Kingsley was responsible for a Neo-Classical storage warehouse at 6325 N. Broadway (1920), a Renaissance Revival structure at 6542 N. Clark St. (1920), the Neo-Classical Jackson Van Express and Company Building at 5951 W. Madison St. (1921), and a Prairie School storage center at 3833 N. Sheffield Ave. (1914). However, Kingsley’s most iconic design in this vein is the Egyptian Revival Reebie Storage Warehouse at 2325 N. Clark Street (1922) which was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1999. The building, which heavily features Egyptian style terra cotta along its ground floor, is one of Lincoln Park’s best architectural centerpieces.
Kingsley also designed a number of Orange-rated buildings listed in the Chicago Historic Resources Survey including an American Foursquare house at 1120 W. Albion Ave., a multi-family residential building at 7068-7070 N. Ashland Ave., and two homes at 645 (1914) and 737 W. Hutchinson St. (1911) which are contributing buildings to the West Hutchinson Street Landmark District.
The Landmark Designation Report for the Reebie Storage Warehouse notes that “Kingsley treated his storage warehouses as blank canvases on which he could paint an architectural character,” especially given that “the simplicity of the [storage warehouse] building type lent itself to ornamentation.” Kingsley’s taste in revival ornament, however, lies within a larger historical context. Perthis same Designation Report, “Revival styles were very much in vogue in the early 1920s. Victorian architecture was losing favor, disliked for its fussy details and domestic connotations. In a spirit of controlled adventure, architects were turning to historical styles to refresh their design vocabularies.”
This shift in American architectural taste explains the Renaissance Revival splendor of the Werner Bros. Storage Warehouse. The building’s ground floor windows are framed by white terra cotta archways and, in the center, stands a complex doorframe replete with green terra cotta faces, shields, and urns. Spiraled Solomonic columns carry the eyes upward from the ground floor to an eye-catching cornice and sophisticated window surrounds. Seen from the street, the building could easily be confused with an Italian palazzo rather than a storage warehouse. It was this kind of grandeur that Kingsley was so skilled at delivering to his storage company clients. Especially when compared to storage facilities standards of today, it is remarkable to hearken back to an era when owners and developers considered the design of these buildings serious business, working hard to put extra effort into their appearances to make them stand out and be recognized.
THREAT
In fall 2022, developer group Housing for All building unveiled a proposal to build affordable housing and commercial spaces over two phases on N. Paulina St. near the Howard Street Red Line stop. The first phase of the development would include 52 units of affordable housing built next door to the Werner Brothers Storage Warehouse. Housing for All is hoping to also include up to 52 units in the second phase which, per development plans, would necessitate demolition of the Werner Brothers Storage Building.
While the developer’s current plans to demolish are due to the building’s upper floors not meeting the ceiling height requirements for modern housing, Housing for All developer Shelly Tucciarelli expressed a willingness to work with the community to explore best possible preservation outcomes. Phase 1 of the development is set to begin in late 2023 or early 2024, while Phase 2 is targeted for a 2025 start.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Preservation Chicago has long advocated for affordable housing across Chicago, especially within transit-oriented developments, which is why we encourage the development team, along with Ald. Maria Hadden, to continue working with the community to find a solution that keeps the historic building elements intact and allows the current owner to meet its goal of housing up to 52 households in the development’s second phase.
This site would also be an ideal candidate for a Chicago Landmark designation, and it is believed to have already been determined eligible for the National Register. With the additional resources that these designations could provide, the costs that a thorough adaptive reuse may bring to the project could be offset greatly. That Kingsley’s Reebie Storage Warehouse has enjoyed Landmark status for over two decades now demonstrates that there is certainly precedent for protecting his Werner Brothers Storage Warehouse with a similar designation.
We look forward to working with Housing for All, Shelly Tucciarelli, Ald. Hadden, the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society, and the Rogers Park community to find a solution that retains this remarkable building while still creating housing and economic opportunities for households in great need.
