National Register of Historic Places

Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom

Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
Listed
November 18, 2002
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
02001349

About this property

The Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom is a historic automobile showroom located at 1737 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago's Motor Row District. The showroom was built in 1909 for the Maxwell-Briscoe Motor Company, which was founded in 1904 by Jonathan D. Maxwell and Benjamin Briscoe. William Ernest Walker, a Chicago architect who specialized in large-scale commercial buildings, designed the showroom. The four-story building is divided by brick piers; the ground floor features large plate-glass windows designed to showcase the company's automobiles, while the upper floors feature banks of double-hung and triple-hung windows between the piers. The building uses terra cotta extensively for decoration; a terra cotta stringcourse encircles the building above the first floor, terra cotta pediments and sills frame the window banks, and a terra cotta frieze runs below the roof line. Maxwell and Briscoe used the building as a showroom until 1915; it is one of the oldest surviving auto showrooms on Motor Row. The showroom was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 18, 2002.

Location

1737 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
41.86017, -87.62360

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
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.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom

This page lists Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Prairie Avenue District
Listed
0.2 mi
Glessner, John J., House
Industrial
0.2 mi
St. Luke's Hospital Complex
Industrial
0.2 mi
Clarke, Henry B., House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Vesta Accumulator Company Building
Industrial
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Fort Dearborn Massacre August 15 1812
1812Early Republic
1.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom listed on the National Register?

Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 18, 2002.

What type of historic resource is Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom?

Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom?

The period of significance for Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom?

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 Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Cook County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Cook County.

Explore CookCounty ›

More historic places in Illinois

Browse all historic places in Illinois.

View Illinoishistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Illinois history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Illinoishistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Company Showroom will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report