5736

At first glance, this home appears to be a typical Chicago two-flat. The façade shows many decorative details including the turned wood balustrade on the parapet. This is an adaptation from the French. Below that is a cornice with brackets and dentils. The staircase is framed with a pediment and columns. The columns are replacements. The originals were probably larger in diameter and classical in design.

The front door, with oval glass, opens into an entrance hall with turned wood staircase. From the interior, you can see the original house number dating from before the 1909 uniform numbering system. This home was built in 1905 for Mr. D. Dunbar by architect H.E. Stevens at a cost of $5,000. The two-flat was converted to a single family home by previous owners, who moved to the second floor flat in the early 1930s.

The elongated living room is the result of the alteration of the typical double parlor arrangement of the original building. Once in the room, you can see the beautiful leaded glass doors created by Bill Colfax using the design of the leaded glass windows of the window seat area.

As you pass along the central hallway, there is a sitting room and bath on the left. At the back of the house you will see an enlarged dining area. The wall to the east was removed and a support beam used to spread the weight. The beamed ceiling with an English flavor was added to the area which was once a bedroom. The adjacent kitchen was remodeled in 1970. As you visit the dining room, be sure to notice the shingled garage. Its design is a reminder of the earlier shingle style homes that were built in Edgewater. At the top of the stairs you will enter the enlarged master bedroom, once the living room of the second apartment.

The current owners returned to Edgewater after some years in Skokie and have taken up the challenge of this property. They have continued to work on the house making repairs and finishing details. The current owner is amazed at the forethought and innovativeness of the previous owner in rehabbing the two-flat into a single family home at a time when this was not common practice.