stripped down to an early pine wood clapboard - likely added during the late 19th century - the modest two-story wood frame cottage awaits its demise. the chicago workers cottage was moved around some, with the last being at the rear of this lot, to accommodate the inclusion of a 1900's-era structure that came and went. cottages or "coach houses" located at the rear of a given lot is rather common, where they were moved when a newer building was erected at the front. based on all available data, the cottage was erected during the 1860's.
the top half of the cottage quickly split apart and slid forward into the alley when the studs mortised into the second story girt snapped. if i had the time and resources, i would have salvaged that "system" for further study. i recall the sheathing being incredibly irregular and massive in size - consistent with the building materials and methods used in the construction of these cottages during the mid-19th century.
objects in and around the sill plates offered insight into the daily lives of the earliest occupants.
in a matter of two hours, the pre-fire cottage was flattened and trucked off to the landfill. note the crushed garbage can.
discovery of newspaper and/or other ephemera along the sill plates are critical when establishing a build date.