The Landowner a Journal of Real Estate Vol II No. 8 August

Rare real estate journal of Chicago published shortly before the Great Fire.

This scarce Chicago real estate circular, ‘Devoted to Landed Interests, Building and Improvement’, was published locally by John M. Wing & Company in August of 1870 – just over a year before much of the city’s downtown and north side were wiped out by the Great Fire. The contents provide a fascinating look into the Windy City’s volatile real estate market during a period of significant development and speculation.

Numerous contemporary advertisements and an extensive directory highlight the plethora of agents in operation, both within Chicago and elsewhere. Maps by Rufus Blanchard, brokerage firms, railroad companies, and building contractors are among the varied related interests also promoted throughout the journal. A view of Charles Holden (Illinois Central Land Department), an article on Parks of the World, plans for subdivisions in Evanston and Highland Park (Chicago suburbs), and loose maps of Lansing, Michigan and ‘Lyman Bridges’ Addition to Chicago’ are notable inclusions. Unfortunately, this example lacks the map of Homewood referenced on the Table of Contents (front cover).

Wing’s office, located at the corner of Monroe and Dearborn Streets, was consumed by the Chicago Fire of 1871. While the sale of The Land Owner (first issued July 1869) was temporarily halted, it would resume publication later in the year and continue intermittently into 1877. Surviving examples of any issue are uncommon on the market, with known archives (completeness unconfirmed) at less than a dozen institutions, the majority of which are in Illinois and the Chicago area.

Source: OCLC# 15718322