historically important r.r. donnelley terra cotta shields join bldg. 51 museum

the bldg. 51 american architectural artifact museum recently acquired several r.r. donnelley printing plant (extant) ornamental terra cotta exterior shields featuring richly colored polychromatic finishes. fabricated by the midland terra cotta (chicago, ills.), the shields adorned the exterior facade of the massive printing facility, considered the largest of its kind upon completion in 1929.

24-karat gold applied to the glaze shortly before the terra cotta shield was fired. the polychromatic shield features a construction date (the plant was built between 1912-1929) and a white-glazed trowel. the extant terra cotta shields are anchored directly against the cast iron panels below the windows.

r.r. donnelley & sons company was founded in 1864 by richard robert donnelley, who first came to chicago when offered a partnership by publishers goodman and church. at the time of the great chicago fire of 1871, the new firm, which had become the largest publishing house in the west, lost nearly everything in the inferno. subsequent financial troubles delayed donnelly’s return to prominence by nearly a decade, but in 1883, he regained prominence in printing when he founded r.r. donnelley & sons.

the firm's operations grew steadily until well into the 20th century, and by 1922 necessitated the commission of a massive west side chicago structure that would be the largest printing facility in america at the time of its completion, with over 1 million square feet of floor space and daily production reaching hundreds of thousands of books, magazines, and journals.  the building, which was designed by architects howard van doren and charles klauder, remained operational until 1991, when the sears mail order catalog, its last client, went out of business.  in 1993 the building was bought and converted into a data hotel - a virtually unmanned building filled entirely with supercomputers that continue to host some of chicago’s, and the world’s, largest and most complex data networks, including the chicago mercantile exchange.

the r.r. donnelley printing plant was built over the course of 17 years. the building supported printing operations for the company for over 60 years, when they moved the headquarters to 77 west wacker drive.

the building was intended to be fireproof, designed from poured, reinforced concrete columns and an open-shell concrete floor. although expensive by standards of that time, t.e. donnelley agreed that the support would be necessary for the many tons of paper they would inevitably use, not to mention the large presses that would be operated. the 4,675 steel-reinforced columns served the company and provided the best possible infrastructure for future tenants. in addition to these building supports, reinforcing bars (normally laid perpendicular) were laid at various angles that enabled the floors to bear loads of at least 250 pounds per square foot.

the brightly colored polychromatic exterior ornament, including these terra cotta shields, exhibit symbols of printing history. the terra cotta shields were fabricated by the midland terra cotta company, chicago, ills. examples featuring date of construction contain a 24-karat gold finish. portions of the building, including the interior memorial library, were designed by architect charles klauder.

company timeline:

in 1874 - two years before the telephone is invented - donnelley produces the lakeside city directory of chicago - an important resource for advertisers to reach businesses and consumers.

in 1893, donnelley prints the millions of tickets issued to 1893 "columbian world exposition" visitors. in addition the printing company produced a wide range of guides, books, and other materials taken home by fairgoers.

two years later donnelley prints "a store in the mailbox." with a significant capital investment and the installation of its patented binder, the company begins producing catalogs for montgomery ward.

in 1901, a decade after alexander graham bell invents the first practical telephone, donnelley wins a contract to print chicago telephone directories.

in 1929, donnelley completes construction of a new flagship facility - considered to be one of the most remarkable industrial buildings in the country. the calumet plant was given national landmark status in 1983. note: the polychromatic shields representing the history of printmaking were salvaged from this plant.