It's good to know this type of 1-story cottage isn't limited entirely to the south side. Below are three brick homes on Foster, east of Western. Special thanks to a blog comment that pointed these out. I can't find these all by myself, and I know there must be alot of them out in the neighborhoods.
Interestingly, if the pediment actually defined the shape of the roof these would look alot like bungalows. I've been reading Joseph Bigott's book, "From Cottage to Bungalow," which illustrates the transition between the two forms. When Bigott looks at cottages he's generally referring to wood-frame structures with a gable roof that originally evolved as a form of rural housing. I probably use the word "cottage" more indiscriminately. But what if these homes represent another transitional form in Chicago? Worth investigating.
These are a bit older than the ones in K-Town, built in 1896. The two on the left are listed at 748 sq.ft., while the one to the right is listed at 1,346 sq.ft., which may mean that the basement is a separate legal living unit. All of them appear to have below grade access to the basement from the front of the house. Which would be great if you have a teenager you'd rather not see frequently.
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| 2317, 2319, and 2321 W. Foster |
All three would have had the decorative triangular pediments with dentils, although the one to the right just has a remnant.
Thanks for your great documentation of these! I think it might be a unique local housing type. I did a post on them not long ago.
ReplyDeleteLarry
ReplyDeleteWe need to talk book soon! And do you know three odd little houses on Central Park just south of Henderson? Just did a walking tour of Avondale with Forgotten Chicago, and these places look like two flats cut in half; never seen anything like 'em. they're just south of where Henderson dead-ends into Central Park, on the west side of the street.
this might work as a street view from google:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
Bill
Bill
Thanks Eric, I've added your blog to my roll. Great stuff. The more of these things I see the more I feel like there's an interesting study here.
ReplyDeleteBill, these things must be everywhere! Why did I never see them until recently? And congratulations on the last book, it looks great:
http://www.amazon.com/Hack-Stories-Chicago-Visions-Revisions/dp/0226734730/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320433852&sr=1-1
The idea of a book is equal parts attraction and intimidation. Maybe weighted a bit towards intimidation.
These are lovely, Larry. Serena and I have walked past them a million times and talked about how sweet they are. And shockingly only about 50 square feet larger than our apartment. I'm surprised at their age, though. I would have thought them newer. There's something really charming about their size and their sameness. Very orderly. It's the same reason I like the bungalows.
ReplyDeleteTerri, one of them is for sale! I think it's on the far left. It has a tiny back yard and (drumroll) a garage...
ReplyDelete