319 W Eugenie

Built in 1874, this lovely Italianate, like many of the homes in Old Town, is on the National Register of Historic Places.  It is located at 319 W. Eugenie, which is at the crux of the "T" intersection of Orleans and Eugenie.  "T" intersections of this type are common within Old Town.  Many of the streets simply do not obey the typical Chicago grid, they start stop, twist and turn in every which way.  This disobedience with the Chicago grid is a result of old Town surviving the great Chicago fire mostly intact.  At the time of the fire, Old Town was at the northern limits of the city of Chicago.  Prior to the fire, Chicago did not have a grid system, but took the opportunity, after an immense portion of the city had burned down, to institute a more logical pattern for its roads.

Old Town's jumbled roads are a hold over from the previous, less formal time.  This is fact is quite popular amongst Old Town residents for several reasons the foremost being that it gives them a simple, fun fact to bark at nearly all Old Town visitors who happen to be in earshot, or worse yet, happen to get lost on one of the local streets.

The twisting, winding roads also have the benefit of greatly limiting through traffic, as the roads simple do not go through the neighborhood uninterrupted. As a result, Old Town roads are rarely the fastest or most direct way to travel through the north side of the city.  This lack of through traffic enhances the calmer sides of the neighborhood and encourages a walking culture that is more than abundant in Old Town.

319 W Eugine possess several charming Italianate details, including decorative flattened arch frames over the windows and doors, lovely paired corbels and dentils at the roof eave.  Over the front entryway, a decorative stained glass window shows the houses address.  This window is a great detail, but it is worth noting it is not original to the building.  A little bit of Chicago history detective work will reveal the truth.

In 1909, the City of Chicago adopted a a street renumbering and renaming scheme, proposed by one Edward P. Brennan. This renumbering scheme changed the address of many, many Chicago properties, but had the effect of creating uniformity.  The historic numbering scheme was chaotic, random and unpredictable and the city benefited immensely from the changes.  For our specific property in question, the original address of 319 W Eugenie was 102 W Eugenie.  Clearly the window was added after the change, and at a minimum, more than 35 years after the home was built.

Charles T. Yerkes, Railroad Mogul, Philanthropist, Criminal and Astronomy Enthusiast

On March 26, 1888 the Wells Street line of the North Chicago Street Railroad Company's  cable car system opened for business.  In the late 19th century, cable cars ran up and down many of the thoroughfares of the city of Chicago and provided a much needed transit network for business and leisure travelers alike.  The North Chicago Street Railroad Company ran lines on Clark street, Wells street, Lincoln street and Clybourn (note that these last two were was not called Avenues at this time).  Aside from the North Chicago Street Railroad Company, other cable car lines were run throughout the city by companies such as the Chicago City Railway, Chicago West Division Railroad, and the West Chicago Street Railroad (Don't ever get those last two mixed up, they really hate that.)

Our story begins with Charles T. Yerkes (June 25, 1837 – December 29, 1905) from Philadelphia, PA. In the late 1850s and 1860s Yerkes amassed a large fortune first as broker in the Philadelphia Stock Exchange and later as a banker.  Unfortunately, Yerkes fortune was not to last.

"While serving as a financial agent for the City of Philadelphia's treasurer Joseph Marcer, Yerkes risked public money in a colossal stock speculation. Unfortunately for Yerkes, this speculation ended calamitously when the Great Chicago Fire sparked a financial panic. Left insolvent and unable to make payment to the City of Philadelphia, Yerkes was convicted of larceny and sentenced to thirty-three months in the dreaded Eastern State Penitentiary, notorious for its system of solitary confinement. Scheming to remain out of prison, he attempted to blackmail two influential Pennsylvania politicians. The plan failed. However, the damaging information on these politicians was eventually made public and political leaders like President Ulysses Grant feared that the revelations might harm their prospects in the upcoming elections. Yerkes was promised a pardon if he would deny the accusations he had made. He agreed to these terms and was released after seven months in the Eastern State Penitentiary. Yerkes spent the next ten years rebuilding his fortune." - Wikipedia Charles T. Yerkes

235 W Eugenie

235 W Eugenie street is the address of this unique condominium building, designed by the prolific Chicago based architect Harry Weese (June 30, 1915 - October 29, 1998).   Before I discuss the specific building in question, I'd like to take a moment to discuss Harry Weese, a seemingly mercurial man who among many other things was once challenged to a duel by Eero Saarinen. [1]

Some of Weese's projects located in Chicago are the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, The Metropolitan Correctional Center (now known as the William J. Campbell United States Courthouse Annex), the Time Life Building and the Fulton House, as well the renovation of the Louis Sullivan Audtitorium Building.  Extensive lists of Weese's many projects are readily available at his wikipedia page (linked above) so I won't list more of them, however,  I will point out from the short list above, it is clear that Weese worked on an immense variety of projects including jailhouses, churches, renovations, low rise residential projects, and high rise office buildings.

As an architect, Weese was principally a modernist. Gone from Weese's projects are the extensive ornamentations, turnings and moldings that typified the construction practices of the past.  It is a mistake to take Weese's modernist aesthetic as boring or rudimentary.  Weese playfully used unconventional forms and layouts to create intriguing and inviting buildings.  Weese's Metropolitan Correctional Center is perhaps the world's only jailhouse that is built in the shape of a slender extruded triangle.  One can only hope that the residents appreciate this piece of architecturally playful Zeit Geist they occupy.

309 W Eugenie

A fun, modern home at 309 W. Eugenie Street, this residence is easily and often overlooked (I must confess I passed by this home a fair number of times before noticing it).  Built in 1963 [1] (this home is nearing it's 50th birthday!) this single family home possesses several architecturally significant details. Close inspection reveals these details and how they separate it from the structures around it.

The first thing you will likely notice are the undulating curves of the brick facade as it playfully interacts with the windows and roof line.  These unexpected curves seem to beak up the otherwise hard and rigid patterns of tradition masonry construction, and seem to suggest something a little less formal, perhaps more natural (which is enhanced by the selection of green paint for all wood panel siding.   It is important to notice these pattern, as it serves as a datum for the remainder of the home.

The Bells of St. Michael's

Like so many places of geographic merit, the exact boundaries and limits of Old Town are often in dispute, ask 3 residents of old town, and you're likely to get 3 different answers, and ask 3 outsiders, and you'll get another 3 unique answers.  The adage of the neighborhood has long been "If you can hear the bells of St. Michael's, you are in old town".  Unfortunately, even this simple definition can lead to disputes among the many elderly residents, who, though well meaning are perhaps deficient of hearing at times.  The adage does lead to one indisputable truth, St. Michael's church itself, is within Old Town, and as such, it makes a fitting place to begin my discussion of this wonderful, historic neighborhood.