Limited Edition The Brand’s Hall Rollerball Pen

Out of the Ashes

We’ve partnered with Allegory Goods of Chicago to produce a limited-edition, fine rollerball pen using wood reclaimed from an iconic Chicago building, which was constructed in the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1871. The body of the Brand’s Hall Pen is made from salvaged Old-Growth White Pine (likely from Western Michigan) that has been turned by hand on a lathe and then individually sanded, embossed and polished in Chicago. No two are exactly alike.

The Brand’s Hall is slim and weighted precisely. This, in combination with the Schneider Topball 850 precision crafted, smooth-writing rollerball and .5mm stainless steel tip, makes for a perfect daily writer. The chrome-plated hardware features a minimalist style and the cap attaches to either end with a satisfying click. Each pen comes snugly fit into a hand-cut and hand-sewn leather sleeve, which will age beautifully. The Brand’s Hall is a limited edition of 1,500 pens.

“The Panic”

The period of time after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which tore through and destroyed more than three square miles of the burgeoning Midwest city, was a time of great and furious rebuilding. By 1874, upon the former ashes and debris, a massive building, designed by prominent architect Julius H. Huber, now stood on the corner of Clark and Ontario, called Brand’s Hall. Listed by the old Chicago street numbers as “160 to 170 N. Clark,” and advertised as a “Hall to Rent for All Occasions,” Brand’s served as a large and popular space to hold conventions, parties, meetings, and near-nightly dances. For (way too) much more on the history of this important building see our entry in Dispatches.