Industry
N. NORTHWEST HIGHWAY INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR
Virtually all industry in Gladstone Park is located on N. Northwest Highway, an old Indian trail that starts near W. Foster at the southern end of the community before traveling into Norwood Park where it transitions into that neighborhood’s business district.
With the Union Pacific rail line and the Kennedy Expressway paralleling N. Northwest Highway’s buildings to their rear, Gladstone Park’s Industrial Corridor location gives it a huge advantage for transporting its goods by truck, rail, and air. Onramps to the Kennedy a block away from W. Foster give access to nearby O’Hare Airport (and all points west) as well as to the center city of Chicago (and all points east).
While some industrial buildings went up just before the Great Depression of the 1930s, the bulk of the machine shops and light industry established themselves during the postwar boom starting in the late 1940s, greatly boosting the economic vitality of the area. Some concerns, such as Aeronautical Electric Company, which makes specialized lighting systems, and Midwest Swiss Embroidery/Screen Printing have been long-standing members of the community, in business since 1944 and 1950 respectively.
An aerial view of N. Northwest Highway showing the location of industrial properties parallel to the Union Pacific rail line with the Kennedy Expressway (entered close by off W. Foster) just behind the tree line. The Kennedy, traveling directly to Chicago and all points east also goes in the opposite direction to nearby O’Hare Airport and all points west, making for enviable transportation options via rail, truck and air. This property at 5540 N. Northwest Highway stands out as one of the largest manufacturing complexes in the Gladstone Park community. Still, it shares the low-rise characteristics of the local corridor with brick (mostly) one-story construction with plenty of space for large loading zones and parking. Built in 1950, the building has sleek and spare mid-century modern architectural features. Photo courtesy of Loopnet, which was marketing the 45,000 square foot building for $2,250,000 or $50 sq ft. in March, 2022. (https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/5540-N-Northwest-Hwy-Chicago-IL/17358747/)
Unusual in its landscape for the city of Chicago, the N. Northwest Highway Industrial Corridor in Gladstone Park consists primarily of small yellow and red brick buildings one story in height. Although a few larger concerns occupy the equivalent of a city block, most are on small lots. Besides the low-rise aspect of construction, buildings are spread out much more so than in most urban areas with extra space for parking and loading zones. Most structures are of sleek, sturdy midcentury modern design and have been easily adapted through the years for many different purposes without significantly changing their exterior appearances.
The end result is that Gladstone Park may have the most historically intact midcentury modern industrial corridor in the city. An informal survey of the ages of 33 buildings on the west side of N. Northwest Highway’s 5200 to 5700 blocks conducted by the author using Cook County’s tax assessment data showed that the oldest was erected around 1919 and the newest around 2013. However, the greatest numbers of buildings on which information could be found (some 25) revealed most arose during the period between the late 1940s and early 1960s. Structure after structure, many attached to one another, appear original, as shown in the three streetscape photographs that follow. If the community wants to enhance the strength and desirability of its light manufacturing district by emphasizing and retaining the corridor’s low-rise, light industrial character, a more formal study documenting the ages and history of its buildings is indicated.
With industrial land remaining more affordable compared to that in denser areas of Chicago, seasoned small manufacturers and importers – as well as entrepreneurs with new ideas – will find their business prospects more viable in this small sub-community of Jefferson Park than almost anywhere else in the city. And because there are an unusually large number of smaller properties along N. Northwest Highway’s industrial corridor, many operations need only limited amounts of capital investment to set up for success in Gladstone Park.
The photo above is one of three of the 5600 and 5700 blocks of N. Northwest Highway showing the one-story small-scale landscape of much of Gladstone Park’s industrial corridor. The physical setup, by its very nature,creates opportunities that cannot be found elsewhere in Chicago. Because many of the buildings are modest in size and lease at some of the most inexpensive rates in the city, entrepreneurs need only limited amounts of capital investment to set up new manufacturing operations and service industries in the community. While some buildings are from the early 20th Century, many are examples of midcentury modern design from the 1950s/1960s and are easily adapted for many purposes without destroying their architectural integrity. The photo above shows the lower section of the 5600 block of N. Northwest Highway; the next two photos show the upper section of the same block contiguous with the end of the 5600 block as it merges into the 5700 block respectively. Photos by author.
The gamut of industry on N. Northwest Highway through the Gladstone Park community ranges from a commercial bakery to metal fabricators to food importers to commercial printers. A few are particularly worth mentioning. Chicago Sweet Connection Bakery, 5569 N. Northwest Highway, which bills itself as “Chicagoland’s Premier Wholesale Bakery,” makes daily deliveries of cakes, cookies, pies, donuts, and breads to restaurants, hotels, and grocers throughout Illinois and four surrounding states. Despite being a wholesale operation, it invites locals into its storefront retail shop to savor its broad assortment of baked goods and place orders for custom products, including wedding cakes.
Two one-of-a kind suppliers of goods in the community are Chicago Firewood, 5600 N. Northwest Highway, and Knight’s Edge, 5696 N. Northwest Highway. The large warehouse operation of Chicago Firewood attracts people from all over the city who want to buy special woods (oak, apple, cherry, etc.) for their fireplaces and pizza ovens. Knight’s Edge, a designer and exclusive importer of medieval-era products such as suits of armor, weaponry, home decor, jewelry and books, also has a retail shop at its Gladstone Park headquarters.
Another N. Northwest Highway business of note is Habetler Bowl, long considered one of the most atmospheric (and best) bowling alleys in the city. Another example of midcentury architecture, the building exterior still flaunts the kinds of bright colors (turquoise and fuchsia) and geometrical signage typical of the era. Owned by one family for over 50 years, its interior has been updated with 32 state-of-the-art lanes that host leagues from throughout Chicago.
Click on a photo to enlarge and visit the gallery.
