National Register of Historic Places

Building at 320 West Oakdale Avenue

Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
Listed
April 22, 2013
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
13000184

About this property

The building at 320 West Oakdale is a 21-story International Style skyscraper designed by Milton M. Schwartz in Chicago, Illinois. The building at 320 West Oakdale is representative of the apartment building boom in Chicago, Illinois in the 1950s and 1960s. Milton M. Schwartz served as the building's architect, contractor, and developer, and the building was his first major design. As such, he had complete control over the creative direction of the building, and so was able to tailor it to his interests. Schwartz intended the building to serve as luxury apartments for the city elite. The apartment was designed so that residences had windows in three or four directions. Rooms were designed to resemble single-story ranch homes. The building was one of the first completely air conditioned all-glass apartments in Chicago. Stark in its repetition and simplicity, it is a good example of the International Style. The building was highlighted in a 1955 Architectural Forum article about recent Chicago apartment buildings. In the article, it was compared favorably to nearby works by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. On April 23, 2013, the building was recognized by the National Park Service with a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The skyscraper rises 21 stories on a reinforced concrete foundation. The Lake View development in on the north side of Oakdale Avenue at the northern terminus of Commonwealth Avenue. It was built to house 57 residential units, with three on each level starting with the fourth floor; the third floor also had four units. Each floor has full-height glass windows on all sides. Floor slabs extend 3 feet (0.91 m) from the exterior walls on floors 3 through 21. However, the ledge over the main entrance is twice as long so that the entryway is protected from ice. The lobby occupies the first two stories. The penthouses on the top floor also have sunroofs.

Location

320 W. Oakdale Ave.
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
41.93783, -87.63806

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
Sources

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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Nearby Historic Sites

Meekerville Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Lakeview Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.5 mi
Dewes, Francis J., House
Industrial
0.5 mi
Covent Hotel
Industrial
0.5 mi
Building at 2440 N. Lakeview Avenue
Industrial
0.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Building at 320 West Oakdale Avenue listed on the National Register?

Building at 320 West Oakdale Avenue was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 22, 2013.

What type of historic resource is Building at 320 West Oakdale Avenue?

Building at 320 West Oakdale Avenue is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Building at 320 West Oakdale Avenue?

The period of significance for Building at 320 West Oakdale Avenue is recorded as the industrial era.

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