April 16, 2015

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After taking a one-week spring break from our weekly Throwback Thursday trip through the Epstein archives we are back to celebrating our heritage with a visit to June 1951 for the opening of the 125,000 sf Bakery Addition for The Atlantic & Pacific Food Stores in Chicago. This three story expansion, which was located at 4248 West 47th Street, within the boundaries of the Central Manufacturing District Crawford Tract, featured alternating bands of red brick and steel sash accented with pilasters capped with stone.

The expansion consisted of a reinforced concrete structure of flat-slab construction with a trucking platform on the north end and a railroad siding on the east side which served as the hub for shipping and receiving. The building featured two freight elevators, one of 8,000 pound capacity and the other 16,000, and they were responsible with serving the other floors which contained space for storage as well as baking ovens, proofers and coolers. All the floors were interconnected with belt conveyors.

Great care was given to designing this food processing facility to the highest degree of sanitation and cleanliness which meant the addition featured easy to clean and maintain tile floors and 7 foot high ceramic tile wainscoting with enamel walls. In addition, the relatively modern (for the time) fluorescent lighting emphasized the cleanliness of the structure as well.

This particular A&P facility was just one of numerous buildings that Epstein designed and engineered for this food producing giant throughout Chicago and the East Coast. If you are curious this building no longer stands and the site is now home to UNO Charter Schools.