victorian-era "schmidt" cottage and former organ workshop on evergreen street slated for demolition

though it isn't the first time they've been threatened with demolition, two late 19th century buildings within chicago's downtown area, at 317 and 321 evergreen street, received a death sentence this month. before they are reduced to rubble, however, i was able to document the exterior and ornamental elements of these neighboring residential structures in detail.

at the western-most structure, 321 evergreen, am 1870's wood frame cottage is raised on a brick foundation, and has a clapboard exterior that features elongated windows surrounded by simple wooden frame and header, and a cornice containing recessed panels accentuated with fret-sawn decorative pine wood brackets along the gabled roof.

to the west, at 317 evergreen, is an impressive 2-story masonry residence with a line of decorative terra cotta (a "stock pattern" fabricated by the northwestern terra cotta company) in a floral motif bordering the facade, and a stepped brick patterning along the gable roof. the building contains italianate style arched and elongated windows. a wooden bay window protrudes from the facade, painted white, and exhibiting elaborately turned posts on the corners (likely a later addition).

several views of the area during the 1850's show sigel street to have been non-existent, and this area bounded by sedgwick and wells to the east and west, and goethe and schiller to the north and south was likely developed in the mid to late 1860's.

the cottage and brick building appear on an 1886 insurance map with the same structural profiles, at 96 and 94 sigel street (later renamed evergreen st.). while research is ongoing, it is clear that the wood frame clapboard structure dates back to at least 1876, when w. schmidt, a 46 year old police officer, resided there. the brick structure turns up in a city directory listing as far back as 1867, for christeine selter's organ building shop.

though both houses were within the burnt district, the listing suggests that perhaps 317 w. evergreen contains some elements of a pre-fire structure on the lot.

burnt district

in addition to these findings, nearby addresses culled from city directories help paint a portrait of the surrounding area during the late 19th century. a neighbor at 93 sigel street was a physician named dr. d.w. craig. within a block of the houses was the western wheel works, or western toy company, which, in the 1880's-1890's was one of the country's largest bicycle manufacturers. additionally, in the 1880's the eastern corner of wells and sigel was occupied by a tied house or sample room run by john fellman, which offered a pool, and served wine, cigars, and bartholmae & leicht's beer. in addition, a block to the west, wurster gottlieb distributed sodawater during the mid-1870's.

if demolition does indeed come to pass, the only ray of optimism will be in the potential for me to deconstruct and analyze the buildings, and perhaps discover latent clues as to the history of the area.