1240

This home was built for William W. Lill, the son of George Lill, the owner of Lill Coal Company, which had a yard at Broadway and Berwyn in Edgewater. William was the brother of George H. Lill, who had the home built a few doors west at 1248 Granville (also on the tour). William was vice president and his brother George H. was secretary of Lill Coal Company. George Sr. was president, of course. The permit for the home was issued in April 1895, just a few months before that of the home built for his brother. Although George H. had moved from his home by 1900, William and his wife and two daughters still resided in their home. To our knowledge, this is the first time we have featured two homes on one tour that were built for brothers.

This front gabled home probably had a full front porch originally. The new porch is a replacement of another generation of porch. It has a roof line that matches the whole house design and is accented with the russet color used above in the shingles. The façade has a stacked bay with windows in each wall. The foundation is covered in what appears to be sandstone that is not visible from the street.

The current owners are a second generation in the home and, consequently, know a bit more about the house than many owners. The exterior front door is a replacement and the interior reception hall door is original painted oak. The woodwork in the home is oak and was painted white years ago. Around the windows are oak moldings and crown moldings above and, as you stand in the reception hall, you will notice many unusual features.

The reception area is now the music room and may once have been the family parlor; it has a bay window and probably once had a fireplace. Look at the ceiling and see the evidence of some well thought out alterations between the front parlor, family parlor and staircase. There are indications that there may have been walls dividing the space with perhaps large openings, but now there are archways in just two places. The flooring has been replaced with newer oak, possibly necessitated by the removal of walls.

The staircase is at the back of the front parlor and is where you see the original oak woodwork with squared newel post and beautiful turned oak spindles. The color of the oak is probably original. Just past the base of the staircase is the door to a small powder room with a very small sink.

Take the staircase to the second floor and note the original woodwork surrounding the window at the landing. Here you can see the beautiful curved design in the natural oak. The floors on the second floor are original top nailed flooring that was in use prior to 1900. They are the original light oak with the fine grain of the wood taken from the virgin forests of Wisconsin or Michigan and used in the oldest homes in Chicago. At the top of the staircase there was once a closet that opened into the hall. This has been closed off and then opened out into the master bedroom.

There are four bedrooms upstairs that are quite large. The master bedroom is towards the front. The bathroom off the hall is newer, with ceramic tile floor and new fixtures. Return to the first floor and the music room. Go through the arch to the dining room which has a large window centered between two built-in sideboards. These have drawers for linens and three mirrors at angles. They probably had double glass doors above and were used for china and glassware. It is not clear why there is a scalloped design along the sides.

The kitchen is large and may have been divided in previous times. It probably had a pantry of some type. One of the windows facing west has been covered by the siding. The cabinets are maple and the floor is ceramic. Ann, the current owner, came up with the design of the eating area. The large raised table has storage beneath and is right next to a large window facing the backyard and deck.

As you leave, go to the deck and down the stairs, which will return you to the front of the house. Take note of the sandstone along the foundation, which certainly is a mystery.