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This residence, tucked away behind a high fence, was once a coach house to another home. The coach house was built in May 1908 by architect George W. Maher for $2,500. Their home was inherited by their physician, Doctor Ziegler, who sold the coach house as a separate unit to the Joseph Armour family in 1953.

The building is almost square with a hipped roof. You can see an open arched portico to the left side as you enter from the street. The arched entrance is a typical Maher design element. The building is frame with stucco on the lower level and fish scale shingling above. The eave brackets have semicircular cutouts. The design of the building is English Craftsman.

The right side was once a diagonal entrance for carriages with a turntable built into the floor to rotate them. The second floor was cantilevered over this area so there were no corner posts. The first floor was a 30’ x 35’ room with 12’ ceilings and beaded tongue and groove siding. This area was converted to an apartment in the late 1950s. All the lower floor windows are replacements. The cantilevered corner was enclosed but, if you look carefully, you can see where it was.

The staircase to the second floor opens into an apartment. The open staircase announces a feeling of open space. In the living room, you will see double ogee windows. This design is also used in the bedrooms. The living room opens into the formal dining room. The kitchen is compact and has been altered from the original. The back staircase opens out to the rear of the building.

The current owner has a copy of the original deed for the property. It contains an allowance for the serving of alcohol. This might be related to the original zoning of the land or the public use of the carriage house. In 1914, an apartment building was built at the corner, wrapping around the coach house. Since it is so much bigger, it is a reminder of the story of the little house in the country that had the city grow up around it.

Enjoy a beautiful city garden and terrace at this one-of-a-kind residence in Edgewater.

Editor’s Note: this item has been changed from the printed version to correct an error.  The date of the permit was 1908 rather than 1901 as originally printed.