largely intact and visually striking original exterior chicago building facade terra cotta panel attributed to the northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, ills. the distinctive medium-sized panel and/or building fragment features a high relief floral motif against a slightly angled or faceted unornamented panel with a heavily darkened patina. the antique american building fragment is largely intact. the exact building or architect is not known. the northwestern terra cotta company was founded in chicago in 1878 by a group of investors including john r. true. this company became a major producer of terra cotta trimmings used by the construction industry. by the early 1890's, when northwestern terra cotta employed approximately 500 men, annual sales approached $600,000. by 1910, its large plant at clybourn and wrightwood avenues had about 1,000 workers. the popularity of placing terra cotta moldings on building facades peaked in the 1920s', and northwestern terra cotta led the way, in chicago and around the country. around this time, the company opened plants in st. louis and denver. beginning with louis sullivan earlier in the century, prominent chicago architects like frank lloyd wright had extensive contracts with the company. included among the many landmark chicago buildings for which northwestern supplied extensive decorative moldings were the civic opera house, the chicago theater, the wrigley building, and the randolph tower. northwestern's operations in chicago declined alongside the construction industry during great depression and never returned to their 1920's levels. in 1965, the northwestern terra cotta company's only remaining plant, located in denver, closed.