Rear Parapets in Rogers Park #2

As warned, I have a number of these rear parapets to include in my courtyard apartment series.  For those of you who missed the triumphant first entry here's a link to it.

7345-7355 N. Damen, 1940


I'm not sure I trust the construction date for this property.  Not much building was going on in 1940, and the style seems wrong.  But there was quite a bit of construction in the northwest corner of Rogers Park in the 1930s, so maybe this is possible.   If I ever get over to the ancient building permit files (conveniently located on microfilm at the Harold Washington Library) I'll check.  The design itself is fairly minimal, with some basic castellations trimmed in stone.

7424-7436 N. Damen, 1928

This is another version of the Tudor Revival with twin-gables and half-timbering.  In this case the timbers are painted white and the bound areas are decorative brick patterns rather than the more common stucco panels.  Simple brackets  support the eaves.  These are the shallowest decorative gables I've ever seen.  And spanning the space between the peaks with brick really undercuts the illusion of a pitched roof.


7400-7410 N. Damen, 1932

Here's a Classical Revival design combined  with an Italian tile mansard roof.  I especially like the square hood molding around the large window, complete with little projecting ears.

So many of these buildings make use of decorative clay tile.  When it comes time for a major repair I always expect it to disappear.  We need a Chicago non-profit called "Save the Mansards." Any volunteers?

1409-1415 W. Farwell, 1927

The architect of this one went a bit crazy with the stone quoins.  If a little looks good a lot should look great, right?  Nice decorative stone panel that suggests iron work (scrolls and curves connected with straps).

1638-1645 W. Farwell, 1929

This is one of the simpler rear parapets, but the use of multi-colored clay tiles really gives it distinction.  The central windows probably held French doors at some point, but now only aluminum double-hung.  There's a building almost identical to this a few blocks north on Greenleaf. Same architect, same date of construction.


OK, I've got about 8 more of these, but maybe time to give the rear parapets a rest.