Deep-set into every layer of concrete and timber of 1000 W. Washington is a legacy that tells the story of this little corner of downtown Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood.
In 1832 local druggist Deacon Carpenter was inspired to purchase a 160-acre parcel of land in the neighborhood for $200. Mr. Carpenter built a home for his family on this parcel. Bounded by Kinzie on the north, Madison on the south, Elizabeth on the west and Halsted to the east, the Carpenter family called this neighborhood home until the end of the Civil War.
Eventually the Carpenter family home became obsolete as developers scrambled for land to build factories, in order to keep up with the industrial development on the west side of Chicago. At Randolph and Carpenter, the Kennedy Baking Company erected a brick-and-timber facility in 1878. It was replaced in 1884 when the original Kennedy Baking Company factory was destroyed by fire in 1881. This facility later became part of a compound of factory buildings owned by the National Baking Company (Nabisco).
These buildings were utilized as biscuit and cookie factories and then textbook warehouses until the mid-1990’s. At that time, real estate 
developers pounced on the former National Baking Company buildings to transform them into the residential loft condos of 1000 W. Washington. Developers and architects created 180 loft properties with 160 different floor plans. Over the years, some of these unique homes have been profiled in local design publications and on the HGTV network.
SEE ALL HOMES FOR SALE IN CHICAGO’S WEST LOOP
