Gothic Moderne
[300 W. Adams Building (1927) Jens J. Jensen, architect /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
In 1926 when the plans were revealed for architect Jens J. Jensen's building at Adams
and Franklin Streets in downtown Chicago, the Tribune called the design "a modern adaptation of the Gothic." When you look at the glazed terra-cotta details today, you might think "Gothic Revival with a twist of Art Moderne."
[Franklin Adams Block (1927) /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
In the late 20s Art Deco and its sibling Art Moderne were all the rage. At first Jensen was
asked to refurbish the old building standing on the site, a wholesale warehouse occupied by a prominent Chicago department store chain, Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. Carson's was moving into new quarters and by the time they vacated the building there was a demand for office space in this far western section of the Loop. So developer David Schetnitz demolished the 6-story warehouse and built a modern, 12-story office building wrapped in Jensen's contemporary, gleaming white, terra-cotta design.
[300 W. Adams /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
Not everything in the details was strictly Gothic, Moderne or Deco, but Jensen certainly
produced a building with eye-catching flourishes, and 300 W. Adams was one of the only buildings he designed in city's business district. And by the way, this Jens Jensen comes with a J., not to be confused with Jens Jensen the celebrated landscape architect. Another interesting tidbit of information - when George Armour built the original building in 1878, J.A. McLennan was the building contractor on the job. McLennan came to Chicago in 1869 and eventually used his architectural and construction skills to become one of the largest grain elevator builders in the country through his association with Armour, Dole & Co. When Schetnitz built his building in 1926, Hugh McLennan, who was a year old when his father built the Armour warehouse, was Schetnitz and Jensen's contractor.
Posted by designslinger at 8/17/2010 1:40 AM 
Categories: Architecture, History, Preservation
Tags: Jens J. Jensen Gothic Revival
Categories: Architecture, History, Preservation
Tags: Jens J. Jensen Gothic Revival
Interesting facts about a building built by a cousin of my father. All of the family invested in 300 W. Adams Corp. bonds; but only Dad kept his, selling it to Bernard Zell (Sam's father) in the mid-1960's. This inspires me to do more research on Dave Schetnitz. MSS
Wow! It's so great (and amazing) when our posts generate personal connections to a building and inspire someone to do a little more research. Thanks so much for taking the time to write and adding to the story.