a closer look at a controversial old town "rotted" post fire 19th century workers cottage
This entry was posted on April 12 2017 by Eric
when questioned about the ongoing threat of demolition to chicago's architecture during the 1960's, the late richard nickel responded by saying "great architecture has only two natural enemies: water and stupid men."
in the case of a 19th century workers cottage at 1720 north sedgwick avenue, nickel's proposal rings true. water (plus possible termite infestation) is visible throughout the images i captured last weekend. as for the latter enemy, i'm hesitant to offer an opinion until my "investigation" is complete. if, however, deliberate negligence was the owner's strategy to have the house demolished when purchased in 2015, then these images provide a striking example of civic vandalism, which according to alderman michele smith, is a "disturbing trend" where owner's intentionally defer maintenance as a strategy to have a property razed, to build new structures on the land. reporter ted cox of dna chicago covers the story in greater detail. the image gallery provides unsurprising evidence of more 19th century architecture that hangs in the balance, imperiled by the confluence of issues that create a road to demolition.
based on preliminary research, the north side chicago post-fire wood-framed cottage was likely built soon after the fire. an 1886 city sanborn insurance map shows the house in question plus three neighboring wood cottages that likely were built around the same time. with the exception of 1720 north sedgewick, the other cottages are extant and largely unaltered.
the following images provide a detailed photographic record and/or condition "report" of the facade and side walls, with zoom lens used to capture the extensive water and/or termite damage evident in the cottage's pine wood structural framing.
This entry was posted in , Miscellaneous, Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts & Bldg. 51 Feed on April 12 2017 by Eric
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