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As you walk down the street, try to picture it around 1900. The street was narrow; it was paved in brick and the parkways were wide. No automobile traffic could be seen. Teams of horses pulled delivery wagons and there was an occasional bicycle rider.

This two-flat is not of typical Chicago design. The brick building sits wide on the lot. Note the simple brick designs on the façade. The front porch features Ionic columns and a balcony. The simple façade announces a modern approach to architecture. A raised brick design on the parapet is a reference to the more ornate cornices of the other two-flats in the area. Another raised brick detail frames the front windows and the balcony door of the second floor.

The entrance hall features a beautiful stained glass in a flower form. As you go up the staircase, note the open space and skylight. The original skylight was replaced recently. The oak stair rail is a simple design and the wood trim in the apartment has been stripped and restored. The present day living room extends the whole width of the building. Originally, a small sitting room opened from the hallway. In the sitting room is a doorway to the second floor balcony. The apartment contains three bedrooms.

The dining room features a custom designed oak hutch. Note the chair rail with the canvas below and the Frank Lloyd Wright design on the wallpaper above. The current owners have worked hard on restoring the home which has had many alterations over the years, including dropped ceilings and painted wood. The kitchen was modernized in the 1960s and the pantry has been refashioned into a kitchen office. The enclosed back porch serves as a gathering place.

The backyard garden is a special part of the tour. The current owner is the gardener and he will tell you more about his plants, many of which have a Swedish focus. He can also show you some of the bricks from the original street, called Purington Pavers and metropolitan bricks.

As you walk through the gangway, notice the window design of the adjacent two-flat. The window on the right is supported by wood, while this home’s windows have steel supports and are definitely more modern.