As one of the most important hubs of industry in the United States for over a century, Chicago has quite naturally become home to many manufacturers of architectural and construction-related products. Situated at the eastern edge of the nation's agricultural heartland, Chicago was by the 1850s already a center of multiple transportation networks. With safe distance from Civil War frontlines, Chicago was able to leverage the misfortune of its greatest industrial competitor, St. Louis, and emerge post-war as the dominant Midwestern trade and manufacturing capital.

Several other factors contributed to this trend:

1. an abundant supply of immigrant laborers.
2. contemporaneous rural-to-urban migration within the U.S.
3. relative lack of density compared to the Northeast.
4. the availability of space for land-intensive industrial activities.

By 1890 Chicago had a population of more than one million and had surpassed Philadelphia to become both the second-largest city and the second-largest manufacturing center in the country. By 1915, the Midwest was producing half of the manufactured goods in the United States. Such development continued through the war years with Illinois’ manufacturing output increasing from $2.1 billion in 1939 to $6.68 billion in 1947.

1. “Manufacturer of all Kinds of Fresco Stencils Drawings and Sketches for Artistic Decoration.” H. Roessing; Chicago, IL; c.1910-1915.
2. “Millwork and Building Material that Satisfy.” Chicago Millwork Supply Company; Chicago, IL; March 1930.
3. “No. 70 General Catalogue.” F.P. Smith Wire and Iron Works; Chicago, IL; 1897.
4. “A Picture in Color Will Clinch the Sales.” Chicago Engraving Company; Chicago, IL; c.1907.
5. [Mechanical renderings]. Chicago Engraving Company; Chicago, IL; c.1907.
6. [Catalog]. Kimball Pianos; Chicago, IL; 1893.
7. “Grille Book.” Decorators Supply Company; Chicago, IL; 1909.
8. “Plaster Ornaments (Catalog 121)” Decorators Supply Company; Chicago, IL; 1925.