Chicago, IL: Cuneo Press

I noticed that in some of the photos of trains in the 21st Street or Alton Crossing that are looking southwest, there are Cuneo Press signs. It turns out, Cuneo Press had several buildings southwest of the crossing. I knew that RR Donnelley had their big Lakeside printing plant nearby. It makes sense that before the Interstate highways and airplanes killed the railroad's freight business that printing plants would want to be close to the epicenter of railroad service.

Stuart Pearson posted
"THE CHIEF" still brings a FLOOD OF MEMORIES to every RR FAN no matter if they ever Rode that TRAIN. Show here Inbound for Dearborn St. Station approaching the 21st Street Crossing. SantaFe Photo
Mark Bilecki Sr. Its definitely heading outbound, the building in the background is the old Cuneo press , which was used in the movie Backdraft at the end of the movie.

Ed Kwiatkowski
IC GE U-30-C's stop at 21st street Jct .This train came in from Freeport 1976

Steven J. Brown posted
Viewed from 18th Street in Chicago, The Amtrak City of New Orleans waits for the Capitol Limited to clear 21st Street/Alton Jct before taking the left and then shoving into Union Station - January 24, 1990. CTA Orange line is under construction.
[The tall buildings on the right would be Cuneo Press. (The short red brick building on the right is the 21st Street Junction Tower.)]

Evan Jones commented on a posting

Bill Nimmo shared

Carl Venzke posted

Another LIFE photo taken in Chicago by Joseph Scherschel 1948.

[The buildings on the right are part of the Cuneo Press complex. I can't find the reference again, but I think LIFE Magazine was one of the national magazines printed by Cuneo Press. (Update: "The Cuneo Press mainly specialized in the production of magazines. Some of the more than 50 national magazines that the Cuneo Press printed included Time, Life, and Hearst Co. publications like Cosmopolitan and Harper’s Bazaar." [Northwestern])]

Steven J. Brown posted
Chicago Central and Pacific train at 21st Street in Chicago - January 8, 1990

MWRD posted
Work on the Southwest Intercepting Sewer looking southwest near the intersection of Grove and Cermak in Chicago on July 20, 1937. 
Dennis DeBruler: And a view of the Cuneo Press buildings in the background. They printed national magazines such as Time and Life.

Steven J. Brown posted
Illinois Central Gulf light power move at Alton Jct/21st Street in Chicago, Illinois - April 7, 1977. GP10 8129 was built in 1953 as DT&I GP7 962.
Tom Parisoff What type is the unit with dynamics?
Steven J. Brown Tom Parisoff It looks like it may be a GP38(-2)?
Tom Parisoff Steven J. Brown I’m not sure. I thought most of ICG’s stuff was non dynamic, but I don’t follow ICG closely.
[I assume it is the third unit that has the dynamics because of the radiator hood sticking out of the side.]

This is the photo that motivated me to research these buildings.

James Boudreaux posted
Local switching the Cuneo Press Bldg.Complex...22nd & Canal St.,Chicago. Amtrak's So. Branch Bridge in the background. Photographer unknown.
[I have already researched this GM&O branch that ran in Grove Street.]

Chicago Tribune, 1927, from ForgottenChicago

We can see that the building connector above the locomotive in James' photo connected buildings #2 and #3. Building #3 still stands, but it is unoccupied. It is in the background of some of the shots I took of the track in Grove Street and the Cermak Bridge. I really enjoy the moments during research when two mysteries solve each other. In this case mystery #1 was "what was that old building southeast of Cermak Road and the South Branch?" Mystery #2 was "where was Cuneo Press?" Looking back through the folders of photos I took of the bridge, I found a better view of the remaining building. On my next trip to the area, I'll take some photos of the building itself.

20150705 2559rc

Concerning Building #3, ForgottenChicago says "The large warehouse building...is Nimmons and Fellows’ Hoyt building, which currently lies abandoned. The Hoyt company was a wholesale grocer, as was the next tenant, Austin, Nichols & Co. By the mid-1920s, the Hoyt building was being used by the Cuneo press." ForgottenChicago also explains: "The Cuneo Press was one of the largest commercial printing plants in the country. The company was in business for 70 years, closing when owner and founder John Cuneo died in 1977. The architect of buildings #1,2,4, and 5 in the right image was the incredibly prolific Alfred Alschuler. These buildings (all except the Hoyt) were used to stage the climactic final sequence of the 1991 film Backdraft. Unfortunately, this involved burning the buildings, which were subsequently demolished."

In this 1938 aerial photo, we can see how the architect squeezed buildings #1 and #2 into all of the sliver of land he had between Grove Street and the elevated GM&O tracks. That land is vacant today.

1938 Aerial Photo from ILHAP

Larry Irvin Flickr, 1975
GM&O red units in Chicago March 1975
SD-40 #915

Steven J. Brown posted
Illinois Central Gulf GP38-2 9606 (built 1974) crossing Canal Street at 21st Street in Chicago, Illinois - April 4, 1977.

Curtis locke Flickr, 1987

Cuneo Press(ed)

2200 block of South Grove Street

 

"The Henneberry Printing Company opened a large plant at 22nd and Clinton near the river in the mid 1890s, and it was vastly enlarged in the 1920s after the company was taken over by John Cuneo, becoming the city's second largest printer as Cuneo Press." -- www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1010.html

 

*These Cuneo buildings were the first controlled demolition implosions in the City of Chicago back in 1995. The building which fronts Cermak (in the distance at left-center) still stands.

[Note the covered hoppers on the right. I was expecting box cars to be delivering paper. Was ink received in a powdered format? If so, that was a lot of ink.]

Elizabeth Moreland posted
Dennis DeBruler Many people [in the comments] have confused Donnelly with Cuneo Press. Elizabeth is correct, this was looking northish along Grove Street. The buildings were south of Cermak/22nd. The lift RR bridge in the background still stands
The 1938 aerial photo extract shows the buildings were south of Cermak between the river and the CN/GM&O train tracks.
https://www.google.com/.../@41.8517581,-87.../data=!3m1!1e3
https://clearinghouse.isgs.illinois.edu/.../0bwq08056.jpg

Dennis DeBruler commented on Elizabeth's post
Some of the tracks are still in Grove Street.
https://www.google.com/.../data=!3m6!1e1!3m4...

Edward Labno posted six photos with the comment: "Cuneo Press.... at Cermak & Clinton opened in 1907// shut down in 1977. Many CHICAGOAN'S worked there, and it was a UNION Printer. Tons of history,even the movie BACKDRAFT, in 1995 used the vacant bldg. for FIRE SCENES. Several of my neighbors worked there from the "Clearing" area and got a nice UNION pension for their dedication. I'm sure there are a lot of stories coming on this listing. Personally... I use to haul Ink solvents.roller wash,& used waste solvents in & out with my tanker. Friendly people, plenty of room at the "Tank Farm". Was sorry to see it close. Hope you enjoy my post."

1
This looks like the Larry Irvin's photo above.

2
This is is the screenshot below.

3
This looks like a color adjustment of my 20150705 2559rc photo.

4
This is a reduced version of James Boudreaux's post

5

6

Carl Venzke posted
Pennsylvania Railroad, South Branch Chicago River Bridge, Spanning South Branch of Chicago River Bridge east of Canal Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL - photo by Jet Lowe, undated
Dennis DeBruler Behind the left tower are the buildings of the Cuneo Press. It is hard finding views of those buildings.
https://towns-and-nature.blogspot.com/.../chicago-il...

One of several photos in the Chicago area posted by William A. Shaffer
Factories and Warehouse are everywhere in Chicago
(Photo by William A. Shaffer)

Screenshot, the start of several 1950s views with Cuneo Press in the background

Tires were being stored in the building. In April 1989, "a fire developed, causing major structural damage, not only resulting in the condemnation of the 8-story structures, but causing the City to declare them "out of bounds" due to the extreme impact of high temperatures and partial failure of one of the buildings' structural system." [CDI]
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A Chicago Fire Department video

So burning it again a few times for the 1991 movie Backdraft was a way to get some money out of the building before it was torn down.

Screenshot

In 1995, it was the first building in Chicago to be removed using controlled demolition.
Blowing up the building using in Backdraft:
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Blowing up the skinny building on the east side.
(new window)  I recommend that you quit watching after about 30 seconds. The rest of it is repetitions.


Glenn Anderson caught the north side of Cuneo Press.