5430

This beautiful American Foursquare home was built in 1904 by contractor Paul Mueller for B.F. Weber. The estimated value was $4,000. The architect was Bartholomew Jacob Hotton. This was one of Hotton’s first commissions as an architect. Hotton trained with the firm of Jenney and Mundie as a draftsman and later became an architect. He was associated with Raymond Gregori and in 1930 they designed St. Pascal Church in Chicago.

Nicolas Weber held the deed in 1902 and it was transferred to Elizabeth Kurowski in 1905. In 1922 Charles Chapman purchased the home but the National Bank Company owned the home for years during the depression until the Emmett McKune family moved in. They had triplets in the 1930s who became newsworthy and so there is mention of them in the Chicago Tribune. The McKune’s lived in this home until 1964. Later residents are more difficult to identify because the house was owned by various trusts but they include the McEwans, the Angers and the Mellotts.

From the street the massive size of the home indicates it is both elegant and roomy. The wide full front porch is accented with half columns with composite capitals. A low straight spindle railing connects the columns. At the second floor level the home is symmetrical with two bedroom windows and an oval decorative window in the center and there is a dormer at the third floor.

The front door and vestibule are original and the entrance is through a small hallway with ceramic tiled floor. The reception hall showcases the elegant staircase and newel post with steps up to another landing. Here there is a beautiful stained glass window in light colors in the palladium design, with a tall arched window in the middle and two smaller rectangular windows on the sides. The design of the glass is in the beaux arts style. The newel post has decorative details on the square post and a curved shape above. A scroll is set to the post alongside the first two steps. The spindles are turned wood in a long thin style and the handrail is shaped perfectly for a hand.

The living room is divided from the reception hall by two half columns on an oak base The home has oak woodwork throughout the first floor. Each doorway and window is framed with crown moldings which are characteristic of the era of the house. In the living room the window facing the front is massive in size and has original glass. It is a double hung window which would be impossible for one person to lift. The other window facing south is also quite large indicating that natural light was important in the design of this home. The cove ceilings are accented with an oak molding.

The dining room has pocket doors and beautiful oak built in buffet with a center mirror and a decorative shelf above. On either side of the buffet, doors open into the back hallway leading to the kitchen. One of these doors originally opened into a china cabinet. The double back doors of this room were originally a window facing the back of the house. This was changed to improve the circulation in the rear of the house.

The back of the home has been reconfigured to add a bathroom where there was once a pantry, expand the kitchen with a sun porch and add a porch onto the back of the house. The kitchen cabinets are cherry and here is an eating area in the center. This addition opens on to a gazebo like porch dining area. Across the back are Doric columns holding the roof of the addition.

Returning to the front hall, you may climb the stairs to the central hall that has heart of pine flooring. There are four bedrooms and a full bath that was remodeled many years ago. You may look into the three open bedrooms each of which has large windows. The home has a walk up attic which will not be open for the tour.