Chicago Landmarks
 

Yondorf Block and Hall

Exterior, photo by Terry Tatum     Address: 758 W. North Ave.
Year Built: 1887
Architect: Frederick Ahlschlager
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: July 25, 2001

Detail, photo by Terry Tatum The Yondorf Block and Hall is an important example of a "public hall" building, an important building type in 19th-century Chicago that typically contained meeting rooms used by civic and fraternal organizations. The building is unusual in that it contains a rare surviving second-story theater that is virtually intact. The building was an important landmark for several generations of Chicagoans of German descent, housing cultural events and meetings of civic groups and visually anchoring one end of North Avenue when it was Chicago's premiere shopping street for German-Americans. It is a distinctive example of Victorian architecture with fine craftsmanship and detailing, especially in limestone, cast iron, red molded brick and terra cotta.