Solon S. Beman (1853 -1914) was the famous designer of the industrial town of Pullman on Chicago’s far South Side. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Beman trained in the office of architect Richard Upjohn, one of America’s most prominent nineteenth century designers and the founder of the American Institute of Architects. Between 1879 and 1892, Beman designed and oversaw construction of hundreds of buildings of every type in the industrial town of Pullman, Illinois (NR district, two CL districts), ranging from factories, stables and warehouses to residences, markets, a school, a church, and a water tower that was the world’s tallest building at the time it was built. He also designed the Pullman office building that formerly stood on the southwest corner of Michigan Avenue and Adams Street, a nine story structure built in 1884. His work at Pullman earned a gold medal for community design during the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, and the town became internationally famous due to the combination of its design and the global reach of the railroad products it manufactured. Among Beman’s most famous buildings were the William W. Kimball Mansion (NR, CL) at 1801 South Prairie Avenue of 1890, the Mines & Mining Building at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, and Chicago’s First Church of Christ, Scientist, (now Grant Memorial Church, CL) at 4021 South Drexel Boulevard built in 1896.

Through the fame he achieved at the town of Pullman, Beman established relationships with several transportation companies, most particularly railroads. Another of Beman’s transportation clients was the Studebaker Brothers Carriage Works of South Bend, Indiana. Beginning in 1885 with what is now known as the Fine Arts Building at 410 South Michigan Avenue (CL), Beman executed several designs for the Studebakers, all of which were used for offices and the final assembly, display, sale and maintenance of the their horse-drawn carriages and wagons. When the company’s business outgrew the Michigan Avenue location, they commissioned Beman to design a new structure at 623 South Wabash Avenue in 1895 (permit #S1719, July 20, 1895).

More Information

Chicago Landmarks: Solon S. Beman
http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/Architects/Beman.html

Grove Art Online (Restricted to Columbia Users)
http://emils.lib.colum.edu:2048/login?url=http://www.groveart.com