300 West Grand

When Grand Avenue was Indiana Avenue!

Photo Credits: Chicago Historical Society		Photo Credits: Chicago Historical Society
View of intersection of Franklin Street and Indiana Avenue (now called Grand Avenue). Taken in 1915 by Chicago Transport Authority as part of a survey.		View of Indiana Avenue looking west. Also taken in 1915, it shows the John B Canepa Macaroni & Vermicelli Factory which manufactured Red Cross Spaghetti until 1960. This historical building is now known as 300 West Grand Avenue
Italian immigrants to Chicago knew that the best macaroni was made in the area around Naples, Italy. Our weather was not ideal, since good macaroni relied on drying in the open air and frequent temperature changes. The first entrepreneurs to supply this need were John B. Canepa and his stepfather, David Tulino who established Chicago's first macaroni factory, the John B Canepa Macaroni & Vermicelli Factory, in 1860. By the end of the century, their pasta was being manufactured under the Red Cross name. The 300 West Grand Condominiums are located in the six-story building formerly occupied by their factory. We are located at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Franklin Street in what is now the River North area of downtown Chicago. Since then, the building has obviously undergone several renovations. The most significant of which opened the building up to condominium owners in 1999. Since then, it has been undergoing additional enhancing renovations, at the individual unit levels. Several owners have improved their units by refinished the brick walls, added large decks or sitting areas outside, or remodeled interiors.