About this property
The Automatic Electric Company Building , located at 1000 W. Van Buren Street in Chicago, Illinois, is the original headquarters of the Automatic Electric Company. The company developed and popularized the automatic telephone exchange in the early 20th century. Inventor Almon Strowger had begun producing and selling automatic switches in the 1890s, but never had a permanent factory; when he helped form the Automatic Electric Company in 1901, the company constructed the building on Van Buren as a factory and headquarters. As Illinois Bell, the largest telephone company in Chicago, did not wish to contract with them, the company grew its market by selling to smaller independent telephone companies in the city. Over the next two decades, it expanded to national and then international customers, and after an employee strike in 1919 the Bell System ultimately became a customer as well.
Location
Federal Designation
The National Register of Historic Places, administered by the National Park Service, is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical, architectural, archaeological, engineering, or cultural significance. Listing on the National Register recognizes a property's importance to American history but does not place restrictions on private owners; it does, however, make properties eligible for federal historic preservation tax incentives and enables consideration in federal planning decisions. This property is recorded in the National Register under reference number 02001386. It was listed on November 20, 2002.
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Automatic Electric Company Building listed on the National Register?
Automatic Electric Company Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 2002.
What type of historic resource is Automatic Electric Company Building?
Automatic Electric Company Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Automatic Electric Company Building?
The period of significance for Automatic Electric Company Building is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1901.
Can I research the history near Automatic Electric Company Building?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Automatic Electric Company Building will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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