Ravenswood Avenue Plant

[Jiri Placek]

I was today at the Ravensvood Avenue plant in Chicago.  There are neither 4450 nor 4462 buildings.  I talked to Mr. Ray Skol of Skol Manufacturing at 4444 North Ravenswood.  He does not know whether his building is the same that used to be 4450 but he confirmed to me that the gray building next his used to be Scott Corporate Office at 4462 Ravenswood.  That building was refurbished into office rental units, the Ravenswood Avenue entrance was closed and the address of that building was changed to 1807 West Sunnyside Avenue.

So I have a  question for those who may have pictures of Scott buildings at Ravenswood Avenue:  Do the old time pictures that were perhaps published by Scott match those that are shown in Google Maps Street View for 4444 North Ravenswood Avenue? Thanks, Jiri Placek

[Thomas Day]

Jiri:

We were past the 4450 building a few years ago and it was undergoing rehab then, the building looked almost exactly like the photos you see on line and in the Scott literature.

We haven't been by there since, so the outward appearance may have changed. Chicago's building number plan does skip numbers. Consider that our home is at 6448, while the house next door North is 6444, and the building next to us on the South is 6450. 6446 does not exist. 

Thom

[Thomas Day]

I just took a look at Google street view. The outward appearance of the building has changed, but the basic structural details are still there. New windows and a paint job. 

Thom

[Jeffrey Kyle]

I stood in front of the building back in 1998 and the 1st floor which was below ground in no longer accessible from the front. 

The steps going down to it were gone, just windows at ground level.

The building still had the rectangular stone inset in the center near the 3rd floor in the front. All of the tilt out window had been replaced with modern style windows.

[Jiri Placek]

Thanks for the information, Thom.   So if the corner building was 4450 Ravenswood then where was 4462?  It should be in the same block given Chicago street numbering system.  

The inset mentioned by Jeffrey is still there and painted in vivid acrylic colors...

Jiri

[Thomas Day]

Jiri:

I think 4450 is corner building. If so, then 4462 would be in the next block North. Some North - South streets have 1/2 block streets going East - West, and the numbering system continues until the next full  block street. 

Thom

[Jiri Placek]

Thom-

the next corner building north of the Sunnyside Avenue has street number 4500 North Ravenswood so the block numbering is clearly by multiples of 100 as it should be.  So, again, IF the "newer" Scott building shown in late 1930's Newsletters was 4462 North Ravenswood THEN the "old" 4450 North Ravenswood building had to be south of 4462.

I do not think that the 4450 building was demolished since the 4444 building (that is just next to the grey corner "4462" building) looks like 1920's style and, looking at the back of the 4444 building from the elevated train side, there is no evidence in the masonry that two or more buildings were combined.  The same conclusion is supported by the symmetry of the front facade of the 4444 building.   I tend to speculate that the current 4444 North Ravenswood was originally the 4450 building that was re-numbered after the renovation by the current owner.

Moreover, the corner grey building looks like a corporate office / R&D building rather than a manufacturing plant.

The whole issue is perplexing to me.  

It would really help to find a picture of the "old" Scott building and compare it with the existing street view.  I wonder whether such picture could be in an early Newsletter issue from the Allwave period.

Regards, Jiri

[Kent King]

There are numerous pictures of the building in the Scott News issues. If you enter 4450 Ravenswood into Google street view, it comes up on the correct structure, which is the building on the corner. I've been there more times than I can count, and have been inside on two occasions. It has been a few years and I don't know who/what owns it now. Last time it was a group of small rental offices, but it seems to be reinvented every decade or so. The single best way to identify the building is the Greek style inset. That feature shows up clearly in the original Scott News pictures and is still there today.

[Jiri Placek]

Many thanks for all comments.  After checking and re-checking I am now convinced that the 4462 North Ravenswood Avenue address that appears in some Scott ads was a vanity street number for the 4450 building.  Regards, Jiri