From Meat Packing Hub to Sustainable Incubator: The Remarkable Evolution of The Plant in Chicago
To tell you the remarkable story of The Plant, we must journey back to Christmas Day in 1865. After the Civil War, Chicago emerged as a thriving meat packing hub. Its strategic central location and the booming railroad industry made it the ideal destination for moving and processing livestock. As a result, numerous packing houses settled in the southwest side of Chicago, and it was here that the Union Stock Yards were founded by friends of Abraham Lincoln.
The name not only symbolized the union of various packing houses but also paid tribute to preserving The Union after the Civil War. Designed by Octave Chanute, a friend of the Wright Brothers, the Stock Yards’ plans included organized rows of livestock pens spread across city blocks, each with its own designated address to prevent handlers from getting lost in the maze like arrangement. The Chicago Tribune aptly labeled this system “organized chaos,” which was just one of the revolutionary aspects that led to Chicago being dubbed the “hog butcher of the world” by Carl Sandburg.
Over the years, the Stock Yards garnered significant attention, with visitors ranging from the nephews of the Emperor of Japan to French stage actress Sarah Bernhardt, drawing crowds of up to 500,000 people annually. Butchering a steer that would typically take a skilled butcher around 12 hours was reduced to a mere 34 minutes at the Stock Yards, thanks to the implementation of the disassembly line. This innovation, in turn, inspired Henry Ford to create the assembly line following his visit to the Stock Yards.
At its peak in 1924, the Stock Yards covered a sprawling 475 acres and employed over 50,000 individuals, including men, women, and children. Throughout its impressive 105+ year history, over a billion head of livestock were unloaded in Chicago. However, by 1965, many of the prominent packing houses had already departed, setting off a chain reaction as others followed suit. Other cities learned from Chicago’s model, and with improved local facilities, farmers no longer needed to transport their livestock long distances to be processed in Chicago.
Consequently, the Union Stock Yards were officially shut down on July 30th, 1971, at midnight.
Today, the building that once housed Peer Foods stands transformed into The Plant, a living laboratory and a beacon of innovation. Arriving at the building, it’s hard to believe that it was once a meat packer over 40 years ago. A faded “Peer Foods” mural now coexists with a new art piece depicting people harvesting plants, symbolizing the profound shift in purpose and vision.
The Plant is best thought of as an incubator for businesses focused on efficiency, combating climate change, and waste elimination. The structure, now situated in an area affected by food apartheid and lacking in healthy resources for the community, was acquired in 2010 by Bubbly Dynamics, a sustainable urban industrial developer. While some assumed the building would be stripped for parts and demolished, Bubbly Dynamics saw its potential as an incubator for food and farming-focused businesses, addressing food scarcity in the community and providing much-needed employment opportunities.
The Plant is nearly bursting at the seams with roughly 15 businesses and research labs. The diversity of endeavors is astounding. For example, the Whiner Beer Tap Room employs a system that captures CO2 from the brewing process and repurposes it in agricultural settings like indoor farms and algae bioreactors. Closed Loop Farms cultivates microgreens, herbs, and edible flowers for chefs across the city. Sacred Serve crafts plant-powered gelato using young coconut meat, superfoods, and medicinal mushrooms, while Back of the Yards Algae Sciences pioneers circular economy solutions based on microalgae for food and agriculture.
One of The Plant’s highlights is the Packingtown Museum, curated by Professor and Dominic Pacyga, which sheds light on the history of the Union Stock Yards. The museum, situated on a floor where smoking rooms once operated, preserves the memory of the Stock Yards’ heritage, with metal rails from the disassembly line still intact, acting as a poignant reminder of the past.
The dedication to sustainability and community extends beyond the building’s walls. The Plant’s anaerobic digester project, currently on hold due to funding, promises to provide food-waste processing alternatives to businesses in the surrounding urban industrial area and beyond once completed. In under 15 years, The Plant has evolved into a collaborative community within its 100,000 sq. ft. facility.
Visitors can enjoy drinks, great food, or peruse a vegan farmer’s market, all while supporting innovative small businesses working toward a sustainable future. As The Plant stands strong on the southwest side of Chicago, it exemplifies a transformative journey from Stock Yards to a sustainable incubator, embracing progress while honoring its rich history.
