E-Z Polish Factory for D. D. Martin and W. E. Martin

Date: 1905    
Address: 3017 W. Carroll Avenue, Chicago, Illinois    
City: Chicago, Illinois
Accessibility: Private
Category: Commerical

Wright designed the E-Z Polish factory for the production, storage, and distribution of the Martin and Martin Polish Company’s shoe and stove polishes. The company was owned by William E. Martin, for whom Wright designed a house in Oak Park in 1903, and Darwin Martin, who commissioned a number of large-scale projects in Buffalo, New York, including a private residence and the Larkin Administration Building. The E-Z Polish factory was initially designed as a two-story structure, but was modified in 1913. Two wings for the production of polish flanked a courtyard leading to the building’s two entrances. William Martin’s office was tucked between these entrances, which opened into a counting room with a centrally located vault. A vast room for shipping and storage spanned the building’s north elevation.


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