Reid Murdoch Building
325 N LaSalle, constructed in 1914, was designed by George C. Nimmons for Reid, Murdoch & Co. one of the country’s largest wholesale grocers. Reid, Murdoch & Co. used the building for corporate offices and warehouse space, with several floors dedicated to manufacturing and processing various foods: cheeses, coffee, catsup, sugar, fish, bread, and pickles. The building even included a humidor where tobacco was rolled for cigars. The riverfront site enabled Reid, Murdoch & Co. to ship and receive goods via a supply chain that connected steamers on the building’s south side to railroad spurs on the north side. Under LaSalle Street, the building’s shipping platform was used to load trucks that delivered to merchants all over the city. The building even connected with the city’s downtown freight tunnel system, 60 feet below street level.
A notable example of the “Chicago School” of Architecture, the building’s design features a red brick façade with decorative terra-cotta embellishments covering a steel and concrete skeleton. Originally the building was symmetrical, with 6 bays of windows flanking the center tower on both sides. In 1926, one bay on the west end was removed allowing the City to widen LaSalle Street.