5426

This Queen Anne residence is one of the oldest in Lakewood Balmoral. The permit date is May 6, 1893. The architect is unknown at this time. Some of the interior details resemble other older homes in the area. John Lewis Cochran had this home built, so the building permit bears his name and not that of the architect who was working for him.

The façade of the home features a large front porch with a pediment above the entrance and large dentils along the roof line. The porch is screened in the manner of early days in Lakewood Balmoral, when home owners would install full height screen panels on their porches in the spring and take them down in the fall. This porch does not extend in front of the marvelous turret, which is shingled just like the area above the second floor. The first two stories are covered in narrow board siding. There is a decorative trim between the first floor and the second.

At the third floor level, the front gable has an arched center window and sculpted shingling above it. There are columns on either side of this window. The roof line at the second floor level flows into a band around the turret.

The original front door opens into the reception hall, with oak staircase and built in bench. This room extends into the turret. It also opens into the living room or parlor. This opening had been widened some time in the past, leaving little wall space in the living room. The current owners found oak book cases that would fit in the space and create a smaller opening to the living room. In the corner of the room is a replacement fireplace. This is matched in the dining room in a unique design to make use of one flue. This flue was discovered after the Overtons had purchased the house.

A large and heavy pocket door separates the living room from the dining room. In this room, you will see the original china hutch/buffet with stained glass doors. This had been placed in a butlers pantry at the back of the dining room facing the narrow storage area. It has been returned to the dining room and the room has been expanded to the back wall of the house. This room also has a large bay window facing south. There are two doorways from the dining room to the kitchen.

The kitchen has been updated with new cabinets and new flooring. A reproduction of a 19th century stove serves as a reminder that this home was built in a time when cooking was a full time job and most meals were eaten in the dining room. Just off the kitchen is a back porch, where you will see a stove from the 1920s and a stained glass window found in the attic.

Back in the front hall, please take a minute to look at the stained glass windows on the staircase wall. They speak of an age of elegance and craftsmanship and are real treasures.

This home is listed on the Chicago Historic Resources survey and noteworthy because of craftsmanship (code orange). It is remarkable in Lakewood Balmoral for its design and age.