The Mars Wrigley plant, which has manufactured Snickers and Three Musketeers since opening in 1929, received City of Chicago landmark status Oct. 9.
The decision comes as the factory at 2019 N. Oak Park Ave. will shutter its doors by the end of the year and, last month, announced McCaffery Interests Inc. will develop whatever goes on the 20-acre plot next, while leaving the facade.
The front exterior of the candy factory will be protected, along with a depth of about 133 feet of roof line extending around the facade. The designation will also preserve the iron gate and brick posts at the front of the building.
In July, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks — run by the city’s Department of Planning and Development’s Historic Preservation division — recommended the Mars Wrigley plant receive historical designation. The vote was later sent to the city council.
In order to become a landmark, the Mars Wrigley plant had to meet at least two of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks’ seven criteria. Below are the criteria that the factory meets:
Criterion 1 – A critical part of the city’s heritage
The Mars Wrigley Chicago plant housed the company’s headquarters for decades. It was also the main production facility, partially because of its centralized location in the country’s railroad network. Goods could be easily delivered to the factory because it’s next door to train tracks.
Criterion 3 – Associated with a significant person
In 1911, Frank C. Mars founded his candy company and started making Milky Ways. His son, Forrest Mars Sr., helped create M&Ms, Snickers and Three Musketeers.
Criterion 4 – Important architecture
The plant was built in the Spanish Revival architecture style. Some of the building’s key elements that will be preserved in its facade include arched entryways and windows, a clay tile roof, and gable roofs of different heights.
Criterion 5 – Important architect
The Austin Company constructed the original building. The design and construction company was well known for its innovation and offering design, construction and engineering services under one firm, according to Urbanize Chicago. C.F. Murphy Associates, a respected architecture firm in Chicago, designed the factory’s addition, which was completed in 1960 at the back of the building. The plant’s facade has only been updated to replace doors, windows and roof tiles.
What comes next
Mars Wrigley announced it would close its Chicago plant in early 2022 and plans to do so before the end of this year.
In September, the company chose McCaffery Interests, Inc. to take over the site after it closes up shop.
While the developer was selected after a long search, it’s still uncertain what kind of structure will take the place of the iconic Mars Wrigley factory. McCaffery will release its building plan in the next few months.
When the community first started looking for a developer, Chicago organizations convened a series of five meetings to hear feedback from residents about what they’d like to see on the lot after the plant closed.
One of the groups who helped organize these discussions, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation of Chicago, compiled the meetings’ main takeaways. One was for a part of the current building to receive a historical designation. Another, that the space be mixed-use.
If McCaffery Interests, Inc. builds a mixed-use space, the lot will need to be rezoned by the City of Chicago, which could take at least a year after the developer applies to change zoning, according to Anne Vela-Wagner, the executive director of the Mars Wrigley Foundation. The city’s zoning process will be public, which is important to Mars Wrigley.
“Transparency has been key,” Vela-Wagner has told the Review in the past. “We’re coming at this really grounded in mutuality. It’s one of Mars’ principles and how we work. So it’s not just about what’s good for Mars, it’s about what’s good for everyone.”
“We feel we’ve been good neighbors,” she added. “We’ve been surrounded by good neighbors, and we want to continue that in the years to come.”
