Dilla’s Chicago is a biweekly window into the hidden histories of Chicago area historical figures, buildings, neighborhoods, and more from Shermann “Dilla” Thomas. Thomas is a Chicago historian and content creator and the founder of Chicago Mahogany, LLC. He serves as the brand ambassador and chief of social media for the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. Find him on Instagram or TikTok @6figga_dilla.
Anyone who has ever taken one of my neighborhood history tours has heard me repeatedly say, “If it has a name, it has a history.” This statement applies to everything, including the names given to buildings and other structures.
Recently, I saw an Instagram post of a man touring the interior of a century-old building that he had recently purchased. My first thought when seeing the post was, “Man, I wish I could buy a high-rise building.” But my second thought was, “Hey, I know what building that is.”
The building in question happens to house one of my favorite hidden breakfast spots. The building and the restaurant share the name Pittsfield, and, as you might guess, there is a history behind the name.
The Pittsfield is in the Loop on the northeast corner of Wabash and Washington, and was built in 1927. Newspaper accounts at the time suggest that the building was completed incredibly quickly, with construction taking less than a year.
Aesthetically, it’s one of my favorite buildings in all of Chicago. It is almost 40 stories tall, a “shorty” compared to contemporary Chicago skyscrapers. Still, what it lacks in height it makes up for in character.
The building is clad in brick and terra-cotta with a weathered copper tip on the roof. The interior features intricately designed elevators and ceilings, accompanied by a chandelier that is at least three stories tall. The first five floors of the building were originally fitted for shops, the upper floors mostly office spaces.
In 1959, a Chicago Tribune column reported that approximately 750 doctors had office space at the Pittsfield, and the building even had its own plainclothes security detail. The Pittsfield is one of the last large buildings built in Chicago during the 1920s.
The 1930s would usher in the Great Depression. With it, Chicago wouldn’t see any more new skyscrapers until the Prudential building was built in 1955.
The Pittsfield was commissioned by the estate of business mogul and Chicago philanthropist Marshall Field. His grandson, Marshall Field III, was the main force behind its construction. It bears the name Pittsfield because Marshall Field got his first job in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
The building was constructed as an investment for the Field family, but in 1944, it was a 50th anniversary gift to the Field Museum, which the family also funded.
Quick sidebar: Doesn’t it seem that the super wealthy were more civically-minded back in the day? Chicago’s foundational cultural institutions were gifts from our pioneering business moguls. Field—whose business founded the legendary Marshall Field’s department store chain—gave this gift to the Field Museum. The Shedd Aquarium was a gift from John G. Shedd, the second-ever president of the Marshall Field Company. The Civic Opera House was a gift from Sam Insull, who was an early executive for a series of companies that evolved into what we know as Commonwealth Edison today. The Adler Planetarium was a gift from Max Adler, who took over Sears, Roebuck and Company after Julius Rosenwald’s departure. And speaking of Rosenwald, in this historian’s opinion, he might be one of the dopest philanthropists this country has ever had. He gave us the Museum of Science and Industry and so much more. I can’t really think of anything being built by the super wealthy in this same manner nowadays. Anyway . . .
The Field family have long been supporters of the museum that bears their name, so it isn’t surprising that Marshall Field III decided to give the museum such a fantastic gift. The museum would go on to sell the building in 1960 for $6 million, which is equivalent to $65.3 million today.
Today, the building is owned by investor Tom Liravongsa, aka “Tom the Skyscraper Guy,” and per his Instagram, he is converting the remaining office spaces of the building into housing. I especially appreciate that some of the units will be reserved for affordable housing.
Did I mention the breakfast at the Pittsfield Cafe is really, really good? It’s also amazingly good that this building is being preserved and restored. Too often we’re in a hurry to knock down something old in the name of something new. We can always build, but when the old stuff is gone, it’s gone forever.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
