Rowe Building | 714 S Dearborn

Sandmeyer’s bookstore has been family owned and operated in the South Loop Printing House District for 40 years this year. It sits within the first floor of the landmark Rowe Building at 714 S Dearborn. Sandmeyer’s has been a favorite of mine over the years, partly for their inventory and partly because visiting gives me the opportunity to step inside the Rowe.

The Rowe was built in 1892 and renovated in 1980. The historical marker imprinted at the entrance states “The Rowe Building, a printing arts factory built in 1892, typifies the late nineteenth century Romanesque Revival style. Renovated in 1980, the Rowe Building is a distinguished member of the Printers Row family of residential and commercial loft buildings.”

This area of Printer’s Row feels like a time capsule. The style of the Rowe Building is characteristic of what Chicago’s industrial architecture looked like in the late 1890s. The proximity to Dearborn Street Train Station is why so many nineteenth century print shops were built here, many of which have survived decades of demolition. Many of these old factories were converted into residential rentals and condominiums after the city’s printing industry collapsed. The building is originally attributed to architect William Le Baron Jenney, and I love how the distinguished facade sets it apart from all other loft conversions here along Dearborn. I also love to see the old fire escape, an iconic reminder of the response to industrial building-code reform.

I’d read that the building was purchased by a group of architects in the ‘80s who each planned and independently redeveloped a floor. As such, the entire building is comprised of only 9 condo units in total - very rare! Sandmeyer’s bookstore occupies the first floor, with the remainder of the upper floors privately owned by a mix of residents and small businesses.  

Have you ever heard about the ‘house on the roof’ downtown? It’s here, on top of the historic Rowe building! When the building was sold in the ‘80s architect Phillip Kupritz had an office in the building, and he also purchased the rooftop storage shed - along with the roof rights that came with it. So Kupritz designed a single-family home on the roof. Something I can’t imagine the original architect, William Le Baron Jenney, ever could’ve envisioned in 1892!!