Amazon Leases Former Midwest Industrial Metals Facility on Goose Island

[TBurke]

This building was once Midwest Industrial Metals and it was served by the MILW and later SOO.  Later Calumet Photo operated there.  Now Amazon will occupy it.  This link will take you to a photo of Midwest Industrial Metals when it was operating and rail-served.  A SOO train is on North Branch while a boxcar is spotted on the spur inside the facility. 

From Crain's Chicago Business-

April 29, 2015
Amazon.com to put first Chicago warehouse on Goose Island

Amazon.com has leased a Goose Island warehouse in what could be the first of several smaller deals in Chicago as the e-commerce giant maneuvers closer to urban customers seeking fast delivery.
The company is taking all of a 51,970-square-foot warehouse at 1111 N. Cherry Ave., according to real estate sources.

The deal comes about six months after Seattle-based Amazon and politicians announced that the online retailer planned to enter Illinois with at least one distribution center, with plans to hire at least 1,000 full-time employees by 2017.

[Jsu]

I really really want this to be a good thing for the CTM, I really hope it will do great things to pick up the traffic slack left by Finkl.  But, I looked at other Amazon facilities  in other places, and they don't appear to be rail-served.  Some are located by rail facilities, but I could not identify any rail access for the other distribution places.  Then again, I could not see any way how a place like an Amazon distribution center would not need rail service.

[Brianbobcat]

This building was once Midwest Industrial Metals and it was served by the MILW and later SOO.  Later Calumet Photo operated there.  Now Amazon will occupy it.  This link will take you to a photo of Midwest Industrial Metals when it was operating and rail-served.  A SOO train is on North Branch while a boxcar is spotted on the spur inside the facility.

Hey Tom, I think there was an error in adding the hyperlink.

[TBurke]

Thanks for the heads-up.  Here's the link.

http://www.chicagoswitching.com/chicago/former-milwaukee-road-cp-rail-chicago-terminal/goose-island-area/Goose-Island-Switching-Operations/

Scroll down to the fifth photo to see this site when it was rail-served and part of Midwest Industrial Metals.

I imagine it might be a brownfield site given its legacy under Lakin and Midwest Industrial Metals.  Then processing film involves chemicals as well when Calumet Photo operated there.

[TBurke]

I really really want this to be a good thing for the CTM, I really hope it will do great things to pick up the traffic slack left by Finkl.  But, I looked at other Amazon facilities  in other places, and they don't appear to be rail-served.  Some are located by rail facilities, but I could not identify any rail access for the other distribution places.  Then again, I could not see any way how a place like an Amazon distribution center would not need rail service.

Amazon is all about speed so no doubt they will use trucks-and maybe drones in the not so distant future at/to this location.  It would be nice though if Chicago Terminal at least tried to contact Amazon about it.

Tom

[themats]

Box cars full of Amazon boxes would be nice...

[Brianbobcat]

Scroll down to the fifth photo to see this site when it was rail-served and part of Midwest Industrial Metals.

Anyone know what that windowed room was above the box car entry?  It looks like a switching tower, but that makes zero sense.  Either way, it isn't there anymore and was removed when Calumet took over.  Unfortunately Amazon will not be a rail customer.

[TBurke]

My take is that the tower was for a security guard to keep an eye on things when it was Midwest Industrial Metals.  I got harassed by a Midwest Industrial Metals security guard for taking pictures back then while standing on a public sidewalk on Cherry Street.