the loss of an 1860's-1870's wood cottage on hubbard street haunts me to this day

the little cottage "frozen in time" was located just around the corner from the old bottling factory, incidentally, the building where urban remains was first established back in 2006. a spattering of other 19th century residential structures were left standing in and around this industrial corridor, populated mostly with a collection of massive brick warehouses constructed after 1900. the delicate little cottage on hubbard, near paulina street, really stood out by virtue of the fact that it had not been altered since its construction sometime in the 1860's (with the exception of roof shingles added sometime in the 1920's).

the fact that the original wood clapboard had not been covered over was a rarity that also allowed the elegantly simple and largely intact arched window wood headers or hoods to remain as defining characteristics of the facade. like so many other wood-framed cottages built during this era, the modest workman's dwelling was raised to allow for a brick basement or "garden apartment" (when the streets were raised to due to frequent flooding and/or the installation of sewage pipe to neighborhoods west of downtown, as more and more lots were being built up with worker cottages).

sadly, the great majority of these homes have been demolished or altered beyond recognition. despite being such a modest cottage, the homeowner had two deeply incised limestone headers set above the two windows. i imagine the time when the house was lived in--that these windows provided natural light to the new addition, which was likely leased out to a whole host of boarders with skilled trade.

i took great comfort knowing that the house was near enough to drive or walk by and admire through the lens of my camera. at times i would just "take in" the building when i wanted to escape into the past. it was deeply inspiring to me on so many levels, this building being symbolic of a resiliency amidst an ever-changing urban landscape. regrettably, i never managed to get to see the interior, at least while it was still standing. it was only after i drove by one day, long after i'd moved away from that area and had become more consumed than ever in my business, that i caught a rather fragmentary glimpse of what it looked like inside-- as it stood partially demolished.

i vividly recall being so upset at myself for not watching over this virtually one of a kind cottage that had avoided change or alteration for so long. i was both shocked and deeply saddened by its loss. the fleeting idea that i might someday buy the house, to restore and perhaps live in it, was no longer. this was a pivotal moment in which i realized the necessity of returning to my roots in architectural salvage and/or preservation advocacy. it also fueled my continued efforts to nurture the development of bldg. 51 and its collection of artifacts from buildings designed by notable chicago architects.

i'm glad i took the time to photograph the cottage undisturbed, and subsequent demolition, before it was transformed into a parking lot for the adjoining building undergoing redevelopment. that cottage on hubbard no doubt supplied a certain momentum, but it would not become front and center until years later, when i discovered the mid-19th century john kent russell house and its impending demolition. perhaps the hubbard street cottage was a wake up call, or even the sacrificial lamb needed for me to handle the documentation of the russell house with the gusto it deserved. in the end, it too was struck down and replaced with a newly-built three flat, which, in my mind, is no better than a parking lot.

update as of 3-20-2016: despite the fact that the cottage was eradicated from chicago's historic landscape long ago, i still feel compelled to research the history of the house. a quick search has revealed that chicago fireman patrick o'connor resided there (then known as 522 austin avenue) in 1877 according to a lakeside city directory.

update as of 4-2-2016: while reorganizing folders containing images pertaining to chicago, i stumbled across some additional photos i took of the cottage in may of 2005. i was still living in minneapolis at the time, but i recall visiting chicago to accept a job position as staff scientist at the university of chicago. by the end of 2005, i was already building out my store at 410 north paulina street, just a block away from this house.