1880s Rowhouses on Maypole Avenue in East Garfield Park

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2743 – 2759 West Maypole Avenue, built from 1883 – 1889

In the northeast corner of the East Garfield Park community area, an array of picturesque, nearly-continuous Queen Anne-style rowhomes (and a couple of workers’ cottages) line the 2600 – 2800 blocks of West Maypole Avenue.

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The Colorful Front-Gabled Italianate Homes at Damen and 33rd

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John Morris/Chicago Patterns

John Morris/Chicago Patterns

At the intersection of Damen and 33rd in McKinley Park is a collection of modest yet exuberant 1880s homes. After almost 130 years, the homes mostly retain their original charm.

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The Former Tied House at 4200 W. Lake Street and Settlement of Central Park

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4200 W. Lake Street: formerly the Best Beer tied house/tavern circa 1883 (top image: p. 49, Lost German Chicago, Arcadia Publishing), currently a residential building. (bottom image by Gabriel X. Michael/Chicago Patterns)

Built in 1883, the two-story frame building at 4200 West Lake Street has undergone several transformations, just like the surrounding West Garfield Park community area. Pre-dating the Lake Street Elevated Railroad (now the CTA Green Line Lake Branch), it originally served as a “tied house” or tavern controlled by the Milwaukee-based Best Beer Brewing Company.

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Robie House: Masterpiece of Glass and Light

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Andi Marie/Chicago Patterns

Andi Marie/Chicago Patterns

It all started when Frederick C. Robie purchased a 60 by 180-ft. lot at 5757 S. Woodlawn Ave. from Harold Goodman. This was the beginning of what would change the face of architecture in Chicago and beyond.

Fred and Lora Robie commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to create a masterpiece. Mr. Robie and Mr. Wright admired each other and were both forward thinkers who weren’t afraid to push limits. Wright would later call the house he built for the Robie family as his best work.

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