These are some of my favorite examples of a cluster of stucco bungalows along N. Maplewood and N. Campbell Avenues. They were permitted in 1919 by Chicago architect/developer Niels Buck just as the formerly rural West Ridge neighborhood began to urbanize.
Niels Buck (1866-1928) was no stranger to speculative development. A Danish immigrant who had trained near Copenhagen as a cabinetmaker, he picked up his architectural knowledge while working in the building industry. In 1893, he began his own practice, primarily focusing on multi-family apartments and single-family homes in the Edgewater and Uptown areas. But I believe his greatest contribution to the city was developing groups of high-quality affordable housing in the 1910s.
Buck's first large-scale development was a cluster of 36 frame bungalows in the Edgewater neighborhood completed in 1915. Most of them are still there, bounded by W. Bryn Mawr, N. Ravenswood., the alley north of W. Olive, and N. Hermitage. Like many early Chicago developers, Buck & Co. offered homes on the installment plan. One could buy a two-bedroom home with a porch for a $300 downpayment, and a monthly cost of $15, plus interest. In a time before standardized mortgages, community builders were a path to homeownership for many working-class families.
Even before the homes were sold Buck was on to another development one mile north in Rogers Park. This was a group of 50 bungalows on Arthur Ave. between Clark St. and Ravenwood Ave. For these homes Buck & Co. had switched from frame construction to fireproof construction. These two- and three-bedroom homes were priced at $4,400 to $5,500 and required a downpayment of $300 to $500. I wrote about these in a previous blog, which you can read here.
In a 1915 article in Building Age, Buck explains how he made fireproof construction cost-comparable to frame houses. Buying large amounts of building materials let him save money through economies of scale, while building very similar homes created an experienced crew that required minimal supervision. In addition, new modern building materials simplified construction details without sacrificing quality. Two floor plans were available- one with five rooms, and one with six. All incorporated at least one porch. Buck even gave some thought to harmonious colors, offering buyers stucco in white, gray, lemon and brown and a choice between dark red, green, or slate gray asphalt shingles.
After their Rogers Park project, Buck and Co. became even busier. In 1919, they advertised thirty more bungalows in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood, on a block bounded by W. Diversey, N. Cicero, W. Parker, and N. Kilpatrick Avenues. These are nearly identical to the tile-and-stucco homes developed on Arthur, down to the geometric timber patterns on the stucco.
In 1921, Buck and Co. advertised 100 new homes in the Portage Park area, within a site bounded by W. Berenice, N. Central, W. Waveland, and N. Linder Avenues. For this development, they returned to their earlier frame construction, with minimal variation in facade or massing.
And finally, we make it to West Ridge! In 1923, advertisements appeared for the stucco bungalows on Maplewood and Campbell Avenues. These 30 homes were permitted in 1919, so they were likely available earlier. Niels utilized the tile-and-stucco construction here. Perhaps he believed the demand would be strong near the developing Devon Avenue commercial district, which had benefited from the expanding streetcar network.
The Campbell/Maplewood development appears to be Buck & Co.'s last large-scale project. They remained active in real estate transactions, but the construction side of the business seems to have begun to wind down. A few years later, Niels Buck passed away at age 62, leaving behind hundreds of small homes that still add to the city's affordable housing supply.
Selected Sources
Leroy Blommaert and Marsha Holland. "Niels Buck, Edgewater Architect." https://www.edgewaterhistory.org/ehs/local/Niels-Buck-Edgewater-Architect.
Accessed 10/1/26.
Who's Who in Chicago. United States: A.N. Marquis & Company, 1926.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Who_s_who_in_Chicago/dTDTAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=niels%20buck%201926&pg=PA135&printsec=frontcover
Building Age. United States: David Williams Company, 1915.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Building_Age/5t4-AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=niels%20buck%20building%20age&pg=RA11-PA31&printsec=frontcover
"Niels Buck and Herman Becker to Construct Homes Costing $250,000 on Ashland Avenue," Chicago Tribune, December 12, 1914, 18. https://www.newspapers.com/image/354960041/
"Display Ad - $300 Buys One of These Homes," Chicago Tribune, February 7, 1915, 10.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/354884039/
"Display Ad - Rogers Park Bungalows," Chicago Tribune, September 5, 1915, 10.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/355125687/
"Display Ad - Rogers Park Homes," Chicago Tribune, September 19, 1915, 4.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/355055610/
"Large Sale of Vacant" Chicago Tribune, May 23, 1919, 24.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/354930043/
"Will Build Forty-Six Bungalows," Chicago Tribune, August 7, 1919, 18.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/355075534/
"Display Ad- For Sale-Real Bungalows," Chicago Tribune, September 7, 1919, 115.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/357473490/
Al Chase. "Better Buy a Car Before You Rent Your Flat," Chicago Tribune, November 11, 1919, 23. https://www.newspapers.com/image/355084421/
"Display Ad -100 Bungalows," Chicago Tribune, September 14, 1921, 30.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/355194302/
"Display Ad - For Sale - Bungalows," Chicago Tribune, June 3, 1923, 103.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/355046752/
"Obituary - Niels Buck," Chicago Tribune, June 17, 1928, 13.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/354870072/
