two-story 19th century bell street workers cottage in bucktown issued demolition permit

this largely intact 19th century brick cottage - located on bell street in bucktown - was issued a demolition permit earlier this week. while no machine was present, the green fence was already up and services cut. i imagine it will be in the landfill by next week.

after a quick survey of the neighborhood, i was surprised that i didn't see any new development anywhere near the cottage set to be demolished. i suspect nearly all of the neighboring structures were period cottages likely built by the same developer in the early to mid-1890s. when time permits, i will look over my city directories and sanborn insurance maps to pinpoint the build date.

there are a few virtually identical and intact cottages across the street, with the same fret-sawn pine wood bracketed and dentiled cornices, rusticated joliet limestone window hoods or headers and centrally located diminutive attic windows.

the period houses to the south are a mix of single and two-story cottages featuring the more traditional ornamented limestone hoods accentuated with lightly incised floral motifs.

what saddens/angers me most is the fact that the neighborhood hasn't changed much since the time these cottages were built. with the loss of this cottage, i'm concerned that nearby houses will become tear-down targets, which as we all know, rips apart the historic fabric of the neighborhood. it's only a matter of time before the neighborhood's historic houses are wiped away and replaced with structures i wouldn't bother looking twice at.

in addition to images of the cottage and surrounding neighborhood, i photographed the rear, where i discovered a cottage (likely moved, but need to check sanborns to confirm), with the facade facing the alley. not terribly common, but when i run across them, i make sure its documented.

further reading:

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW: TWO SINGLE-STORY 19TH CENTURY CHICAGO WORKERS COTTAGES FACED WITH DEMOLITION

VALDEMAR MORTONSEN 1876 TWO-STORY COTTAGE WITH FREAR "ARTIFICIAL STONE" WINDOW HOODS AND KEYSTONES DEMOLISHED