Second Franklin Building

Chicago


This 1912 factory building displays the history of printing on its tiled facade – above the door is a large mural showing a medieval printer's shop at work (a yawning assistant provides a bit of drollery). The roof slopes to allow for a huge skylight over the top floor where books were hand-bound, long before fluorescent lights or high-intensity lamps. The large windows on many of the other buildings in the area served the same purpose.

Transportation

  • metro: Red Line to Harrison

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