mobile icon
Toggle Nav
My Cart
Close
  • Menu
  • Setting

hidden and largely abandoned chicago wood-framed workers gablefront cottage faces demolition

i normally don't salvage in this area of chicago, but when i received an email notification that a largely unaltered chicago workers cottage was set for demolition, i had to make the journey to see it, tucked away on a block where several working class shanties, boarding houses and other cottages were all but a memory. upon arrival i pulled out my camera and prepared to document this little historic gem before it was brought down by the wrecker. with virtually nothing around, it was a surreal sight and evoked a tremendous sense of loss.

even this last remaining house was falling apart from prolonged exposure to the elements and outright neglect. however, enough of it was there to imagine what it looked like when constructed, along with its neighboring houses. how this house managed to avoid destruction up until this point is beyond me, but i'm nevertheless very glad it did.

i have yet to conduct any research on the history of the house and/or the surrounding neighborhood, but from what i was told, it was constructed sometime in the 1870's. this may very well be true, but upon closer inspection, especially of its framing materials and methods of construction, i feel the date of erection could be pushed back. especially convincing is that the house was resting on several posts, which might indicate it had been moved at least once. in most of the 19th century cottages i've analyzed thus far, cedar wood posts supporting the house indicate the structure was moved on the very logs later used to support them.

when documenting the additional materials (e.g., studs, floorboards, lathe, etc.) nothing much stood out besides the hewn timbers with lap joints, notched heavily for the floor joists.

however, the original white pine wood joists must have been replaced or reconfigured since the notches in the yellow pine wood sill plates no longer carried the joists. to make matters more confusing, the opposite wall contained dimensionally identical sill plate timbers with circular saw markings, but no notches were evident. was this timber used somewhere else (i.e., recycled from a different cottage) or perhaps added later, when the house was raised on the posts to meet street level?

i'm not terribly surprised by these anomalies, since most of the chicago cottages i've "dissected" to date exhibit this pattern of significant alterations beginning early on. naturally, structures left standing for a hundred plus years will undergo a high frequency of alterations, either by necessity or "luxury"-- when one style fades and another arises. changes were also perhaps made if the house was moved, expanded, damaged, or raised when sewage lines were plugged into the streets (as the city expanded and improved upon its infrastructure, especially for handling waste).

the irregularities can be frustrating to decode at first, but more often they are just intriguing, requiring a reverse engineering process to decipher any alterations that ultimately disfigured the original building configuration. in the end this leaves multiple remuddlings that are sometimes so significant that the very structure itself is transformed. the ultimate goal is to remove these changes - good or bad - in order to find what is original, and if necessary, piece it back together to arrive at square one. this means taking on the challenge of finding what the structure looked like shortly after it was completed.

 

after taking a closer look behind the interior walls, i found the typical "assemblage" of 2 x 4 studs, evenly cut sheathing with the boards butted against each other and strips of sawn lath intact and undisturbed - likely since the house was constructed in the 1870's.

remarkable that a summer beam was turned on its side, with the joists resting atop the regions free from notches - that were originally intended to secure the joists. strange.

 

 

 

 

the attic truss "system" is pretty standard, in terms of 19th century chicago cottages. climbing into the dark and sooty space, required me to crawl on my hands and knees (not the greatest position considering my back problems). the ridge board, collar tie, rafters and even the partially concealed ceiling joists were all up/down or cut down with a band saw (likely at the lumberyard) based on the straight markings found throughout. the sheathing exhibited identical saw markings. i must say, when i carefully analyze the up/down saw markings of houses dating before the fire of 1871, they are often very rough, uneven and downright crude. these early structural components are almost always comprised of white pine wood.

when examining the spaces between the sheathing, i could easily identify the original or at least very early pine wood singles, that were either altogether removed or covered over through the years. there appeared to be no evidence of damage or scorching so they are likely well-preserved under the subsequent layers of singles.

the exterior retains the original two over two windows and clapboard, although (as in most cases) it has been covered over with asphalt siding, likely added sometime in the 1920's or 1930's. nonetheless, prolonged neglect and lack of maintenance have left several areas where the painted clapboards can be documented.



Some Of Our Clientele

WORDLWIDE SHIPPING

If required, please contact an Urban Remains sales associate.

NEW PRODUCTS DAILY

Check back daily as we are constantly adding new products.

PREMIUM SUPPORT

We're here to help answer any question. Contact us anytime!

SALES & PROMOTIONS

Join our newsletter to get the latest information

Close