Architectural records for buildings and refrigeration installations by Fred Wolf Company and successor firms, [ca. 1877-1920]

  • Collection ID 1998.0120
  • Creator Names Fred W. Wolf Company (Chicago, Ill.)
  • Title Architectural records for buildings and refrigeration installations by Fred Wolf Company and successor firms [graphic].
  • Dates [ca. 1877-1920]
  • Physical description ca. 200 linear ft.
  • Access and usage restrictions Advance appointment required to view materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center (to make an appointment please email us at research@chicagohistory.org).
  • Collection summary Job files (ca. 200) of the Fred W. Wolf Company, based in Chicago (Ill.), and related and successor firms for clients for whom Wolf designed and built buildings, alterations, and installations of refrigeration equipment. Designs were made primarily for breweries in Chicago (Ill.) but also in other states and other countries. Files for a client often contain architectural and mechanical drawings (especially ink on linen and blueprints), some correspondence, order sheets, other plans, etc. After artificial refrigeration enabled lager beer to be brewed year-round, remodeling plans in the collection show how the industry continued to change. Architects/engineers who worked with Wolf during their early careers included Louis Lehle, August Maritzen, Oscar Beyer (all in Chicago) and Otto C. Wolf (who settled in Philadelphia).
  • Finding Aids Note Detailed finding aid by Susan K. Appel is available at Chicago History Museum, Research Center.
  • Biographical or Historical Note Wolf was born in Germany; educated in mechanical engineering at the Polytechnic School in Karlsruhe; came to the U.S. in 1866; opened an engineering office in Chicago in 1867; in 1882 secured American rights to the Linde Ice Machine (originally patented in Munich in 1875) and made his first installation of the first Linde machine at Wacker & Birk Brewing & Malting Company in Chicago late in 1882. The successor firm, Wolf-Linde, Inc., closed in 1998.
  • Acquisition information Gift of Wolf-Linde, Inc. (1995.0127 & 1998.0120) and of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Neuert (1999).
  • Location of Other Archival Materials Note Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include the Wolf-Linde photograph album (1981.0101).
  • Names
    • Wolf, Fred W. Archives.
    • Fred W. Wolf Company (Chicago, Ill.) Archives.
    • Wolf & Lehle (Firm : Chicago, Ill.)
    • Wolf, Fred W.
    • Wolf & Lehle (Firm : Chicago, Ill.)
    • Wolf-Linde (Firm : Chicago, Ill.), former owner. fmo
  • Subjects
    • Architectural firms Illinois Chicago.
    • Breweries Illinois Chicago Metropolitan Area.
    • Breweries United States.
    • Buildings United States 20th century.
    • Engineering firms Illinois Chicago.
    • German Americans Illinois Chicago.
    • Refrigeration and refrigerating machinery.
    • Refrigeration and refrigerating machinery Illinois Chicago Metropolitan Area.
  • Geographic coverage Chicago Metropolitan Area (Ill.) Buildings, structures, etc.
  • Genre
    • Architectural drawings. aat
    • Blueprints. aat
    • Progress photographs. gmgpc
    • Gelatin silver prints. gmgpc
  • Geographic name United States Illinois Cook County Chicago.