As we continue to enjoy fall weather in Chicago, I recommend that you go out and explore some of the amazing homes and architecture throughout Chicago’s neighborhoods on a beautiful day. My top recommendations include:
Lincoln Park
While you are in this area of Lincoln Park, make sure to wander through some of the side streets of the Arlington Deming Historic District to see some of the beautiful buildings. Start by walking down W. Arlington Pl. to the corner at 2466 N. Lakeview. Here you will find the Wrigley Mansion, an Italian Renaissance-style mansion that commissioned by Joseph Theurer, owner of the Schoenhofen Brewing Company, and purchased in 1911 by Chicago’s Wrigley family.
West of Clark St. on Deming is an historic district with several beautiful mansions including the Frances J. Dewes house.
Make sure to see the historic Bellinger Home at 2121 N. Hudson. I recently saw a documentary about the Great Chicago Fire in October 1871 on WTTW where it said that this was one of the few structures that survived the fire. This was the home of Chicago policeman Richard Bellinger which he saved from destruction while virtually all other buildings in the area were burned down. Built in the late 1860s, it was designed by W.W. Boyington who was also the architect of the Court House, the Water Tower and other pre-fire buildings.
Before or after a performance at DePaul University School of Music, make sure to walk through the historic McCormick Row House District across from the performance hall. They were built between 1884-89 to provide rental income for the McCormick Theological Seminary which located nearby. They were built in the Queen Anne Style.
To the south is another historic row of homes, the Bissell Street District, centered along the 2100 block of North Bissell St. The brick row houses from the late 1800s are beautifully preserved and is designated a Chicago Landmarks District. Make sure to notice the fact that the home designs mirror the designs of the homes directly across the street.
Gold Coast
The Gold Coast has some beautiful and historic architecture to see. I suggest taking some time to walk north and explore the streets along N. Astor St., N. State Pkwy and N. Dearborn St. Astor St. had homes by some of the most famous families in Chicago. Unfortunately, several have been replaced by apartment buildings. Highlights include:
Located in the Gold Coast at 1239 N. Dearborn St. is a single-family home that was where Ernest Hemingway once lived in 1921. Built in 1887 and converted to apartments in 1910, Hemingway lived on the 4th floor with his first wife, Hadley Richardson.
The Charnley Persky House at 1365 N. Astor is now the headquarters of the Society of Architectural Historians. This is a mansion that is a National Historic Landmark. It was designed by Louis Sullivan with assistance from his junior draftsman, Frank Lloyd Wright in 1891-1892. It is recognized as a major work of modern American architecture. I went on a tour in July 2022, and it was explained that you can see Wright’s influence in some of the architectural details.
Patterson-McCormick Mansion: At 1500 N. Astor this is a historic home designed in 1891 by architect Sanford White. It was later purchased by Cyrus H. McCormick. It is now occupied by individual condominiums.
Russell House: At 1444 N. Astor St., this is an art deco building designed by Holabird & Root in 1928-29.
David Adler designed the legendary home at 1406 Astor St. for Joseph T Ryerson Jr. The home, completed in 1921, was designed with a distinct French style.
James L Houghteling Houses: Located at 1308-12 N. Astor, these three townhouses were designed by Burnham & Root in 1887-88 with style elements of Queen Anne, Tudor, Richardsonian and Romanesque architecture.
Also worth visiting is the Albert F. Madlener House from 1902 by architect Richard E. Schmidt. It is a Chicago Landmark and a great example of Chicago and Prairie schools of architecture.
At 1555 N. State Pkwy. is the three-story red brick Archbishop’s Residence built in 1885. It is a grand mansion that is well worth the visit. When Pope John Paul II visited Chicago in 1979, he became the first Pontiff to stay at the Residence. I lived nearby and walked up while he was there and was so fortunate to see him arrive and then walk out and bless the crowd!!
Behind the mansion and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the Wooden Alley built in 1909 and restored in 2011. It is constructed of cedar wood blocks. The original ones are located on the west side of the alley.
Old Town
On the north side of the neighborhood is the Old Town Triangle District which was settled in the 1850’s by German Immigrants whose life centered around St. Michael’s Church, founded in 1852. Today it is still home to small cottages and other wood or brick homes. Make sure to walk around while you are there.
Lake View
Make sure to visit the Surf-Pine Grove District which is predominantly centered around the 400- and 500-blocks of W. Surf St. and 2800-block of N. Pine Grove Ave. Designated a Chicago Landmark, “within the district can be found rugged-looking, Richardsonian Romanesque-style row houses, small-scale corner and courtyard apartment buildings from the years just before and after World War I, and a variety of tall apartment buildings and apartment hotels.” Here you can find some beautiful apartment buildings, homes and row houses.
Another beautiful area is the Meekerville Historic District east of Sheridan Rd along Wellington and E. Lakeshore Dr. A highlight is the mansion of capitalist Arthur Meeker Sr. located at 3030 N. Lakeshore Dr.
Uptown and Buena Park
Just south of Argyle St. is Castlewood Terrace, a block-long street and residential historic district. The street includes 26 single-family houses built between 1897 and 1927. Some of these architectural styles include Tudor Revival, Renaissance Revival, Foursquare, Colonial Revival, and Queen Anne. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 3, 2009.
Just south of Uptown in Chicago’s Buena Park neighborhood is the Hutchison Street District. The street has one of the best collections of Prairie-style homes in the city, many of which were designed by architect George Maher, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. The district extends only two blocks along Hutchinson (4200 north) from Marine Drive on the east to Hazel Street on the west. There are also Classical Revival, Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque style homes on the street as well. Most were built between 1894 and 1918.
Wicker Park
After reading several articles, I made it a point to visit Beer Baron Row and its Victorian style homes. This group of historic mansions stretches for about two blocks on Hoyne Avenue north from Pierce. Many of these homes were built by German immigrants who made a fortune in the brewing business, like John Raap. He was a beer merchant and wholesale liquor retailer who built a stately red brick home at 1407 North Hoyne Avenue.
Around the corner at 2137 W. Pierce is the Herman Weinhardt House. It was built in the 1880s for German businessman Hermann Weinhardt.
I hope you enjoy exploring these neighborhoods as much as I did.
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