History Made: Inside Campana's 'stunning' tower

The Campana Co. didn't build cars or industrial equipment in its interesting and modern-beyond-its-years building at Route 31 and Fabyan Parkway in Batavia. Rather, the Campana building played host to hand lotion and feminine hygiene product manufacturing, according to historical documents obtained through the Batavia Historical Society.

Campana was issued a business license by the state of Delaware in December 1926 and officially opened for business in Illinois on Feb. 5, 1927, according to historical documents.

In its infancy, the company operated in what was the Household Journal building at the corner of Batavia Avenue and First Street, according to the Batavia Historian publication, which has been produced by the Batavia Public Library, the Batavia Historical Society and others.

The structure was torn down in the late 2000s by the Congregational Church of Batavia to make way for a new parking lot, according to that church.

But it wasn't until a full decade later, in 1937, that the company built the towering Campana building, which was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The Kane County Chronicle is taking a look at local buildings on the register this week.

The Campana building was designed by architects Frank D. Chase and Williams James Smith, according to historical documents. It's a steel-frame building that uses glass blocks and bricks throughout the structure. Inside, a 45,000-gallon water tank was used for water circulation for the building's air conditioning and fire sprinklers. The building's style represents both the Bauhaus and Art Deco styles, which were popular at that time. Chase and Smith incorporated bands of glass block windows around the structure to insulate it and bring natural light into the workspace, according to the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois.

Ernest Oswalt founded the Campana Co. with Rodney Brandon and James J. Davis. Their most famous product was Italian Balm, a hand lotion. Oswalt changed the name of the balm to Campana Balm during World War II after Italy became an enemy to the United States. The name Campana comes from the Canadian doctor from whom Oswalt purchased the balm's formula.

The late Marilyn Robinson, who was a member of the Batavia Historical Society, compiled a variety of documents and anecdotes about Batavia people and places, including the Campana building. She wrote in a Kane County Chronicle article published Oct. 10, 2000, that the company also produced Solitair Lipstick, Magic Touch Cream Make Up, Anjou Cologne and other products. The Batavia Historical Society believes that Campana Balm was discontinued in the 1960s.

"Inside the lobby are Italian (or French) Deco bathing ladies that can be seen from the parking lot through the second-level windows," Robinson wrote in the Kane County Chronicle article. "The original laboratories of the company were located on the third floor."

The Campana building was one of the first buildings to be designed with air-conditioning, thus the need for operational windows was deemed unnecessary, according to historical documents.

Over the years, the Campana Co. merged with other companies – including Purex Corp., Allied Laboratories, and the Dow Chemical Co. – until finally leaving Batavia for good in the 1970s. The building is the only building recognized as a landmark by the city of Batavia, despite other buildings in the city being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2000, the Batavia Chamber of Commerce hosted an after-hours business event at the building with Clarence Miller and Marion Todd, two former employees who each worked at the Campana facility for nearly 49 years.

“We didn’t make a million bucks, but we had a good time,” Miller said in a Chicago Tribune article dated July 26, 2000. He began working in the building in 1951 as a company inventory controller and eventually became a manager. “I thought it would be hard to come here and I would be sad, but it’s OK. There are lots of good memories of good times and good people.”

The Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois added the Campana building to its Ten Most Endangered Historic Places list in 2006.

Buildings are added to the annual list because “there is usually some immediate threat,” said Jean Follett, the interim executive director of Landmarks Illinois, a nonprofit organization that deals with all things preservation across the state. “When we put [the Campana building] on the list in 2006, it was for sale at the time.”

Although listed as “still threatened,” Follett said the current owner believes in preserving the building as best he can.

“There was a worry back then what would happen to it if there was a new owner,” Follett said. “It’s very difficult to reuse because of its windows.”

She calls the building an extremely significant one in the metro Chicago region. At the time, Follett said, not many companies were constructing buildings of such size and magnitude out in the suburbs.

“We don’t have anything else like this,” she said. “The company is important; the building is important, and the location is important. It marks the end of the glory days of the Fox River Valley industrial life.”

The building is so recognizable that it will be included in an upcoming book, “Art Deco Chicago,” put together by the Chicago Art Deco Survey, a project of the Chicago Art Deco Society.

“The site is so integral and so beautiful,” said Keith Bringe, director of the Chicago Art Deco Survey. “The scale of the lawn and the surrounding green space is very important to the building.”

The group expects the book to be released in 2013. Campana building owner Frank Mares, president of Prairie Structures, could not be reached for comment.

Anthony Rubano, project designer with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, was the keynote speaker at a Fox Valley Preservation Partners event held at the Campana building in 2009. He was asked to speak about the building’s historical significance and beauty.

“The building, architecturally, is a stunning example of a progressive kind of architecture that was popular in the 1930s,” Rubano said. “It’s really a fantastic example of the kind of streamlined architecture that was popular right in between the stock market crash and World War II.”

Rubano remembers visiting the building when he was in junior high school, recalling that it made a positive impression.

“It’s still quite a beacon,” Rubano said. “It’s still as distinctive as it was when it was finished in 1937.”

The building now is renting space to other businesses, including All Dressed Up Costumes, which moved there from a downtown Batavia location in May 2007. As the largest tenant in the building by space, the costume shop is enjoying the digs.

“The glass blocks let in just this wonderful light,” said Laura Dwyer of Batavia, a costume designer for nearly seven years at the shop. “The costumes are much more vibrant, and it is such an artistic building.”

The costume shop and its owner, Julane Sullivan, feel the space has increased the welcoming image the business tries to portray.

“I looked at it before we moved and fell in love with it,” Sullivan said.

She couldn’t be happier with the decision to move and is about to renew the lease for the costume shop.

Dwyer said the previous building the shop was in was dark, compact, and even a little scary at times.

“It just made sense for us to move here,” Dwyer said. “It’s almost like you’re coming into this piece of history.”