Coal Chute in Winnetka, IL

In downtown Winnetka, I found a well-preserved coal chute – the building and chute date to the early 20th century, probably between 1900 and 1930.


This is an excerpt I found about the chutes manufactured by the Majestic Company: “The Majestic Coal Chutes are made of carefully selected materials. In form they are fitted for the unloading of coal. Fuel can be thrown into the building through these chutes without any damage resulting to the building. When the door of the Majestic Chute is opened it affords an ideal opening for the admittance of fuel into a building. These chutes can be unlocked from the inside. They are locked automatically with the Majestic Gravity Latch,” from the journal The American Artisan and Hardware Record: 1920, Volume 79.

The company was founded in 1907 in Huntington, Indiana, and in 1957 it started to phase out coal chutes, as other sources of energy were becoming more common.

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