Describing the historical and technical context of mill buildings around 1900: The Whiting Foundry Equipment Company Complex in Harvey, Ill

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Özkan Yazgan E., Boothby T.

CONSTRUCTION HISTORY-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THE CONSTRUCTION HISTORY SOCIETY, cilt.35, sa.2, ss.25-42, 2020 (AHCI)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 35 Sayı: 2
  • Basım Tarihi: 2020
  • Dergi Adı: CONSTRUCTION HISTORY-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THE CONSTRUCTION HISTORY SOCIETY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, American History and Life, Avery, Historical Abstracts, ICONDA Bibliographic, DIALNET
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.25-42
  • Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This article aims to analyze a 19th century mill building in a historical and technical context. The former home of the
Whiting Foundry Equipment Company is a significant industrial complex, representative of the history of
manufacturing in south suburban Chicago. The nucleus of the plant, built in 1894, underwent a number of additions
and modifications throughout the first half of the 20th century. The complex is significant in three categories:
industrial architecture, industrial construction, and industrial expansion. It is also among the few major industrial
buildings in this area that are still used for some form of manufacturing, with the majority of such buildings having
been vacated and razed. A particular focus will be a linear complex known as the machine shop, built in five phases
from 1894-1916. With data obtained by archival research, site surveys and comparative study, this study examines
the construction history, key features, construction type, and structural components of the machine shop of this unique
building complex. Beyond the details of the case study, this paper also comprises methods used for analyzing an
industrial heritage site. More general conclusions concerning industrialization and industrial construction result
from these studies.