Chicago is teeming with architectural gems of all shapes and sizes.
Chicago is famed for its architectural diversity. Gothic, Victorian, Romanesque, Art Deco, an array of different Modernist styles, you name it – Chicago has it. From wonderful Workers Cottages and charming Chateauesque Mansions to the wide range of Art Deco landmarks in downtown Chicago, there are striking structures all over the Windy City.
While Chicago’s museums, hotels, temples, and towers attract all the attention, there are hordes of unique, understated houses across Chicago that are equally as extraordinary. Lists of Chicago’s more monolithic landmarks are far from hard to come by, but some of the more modest and unassuming homes in our great city deserve a little more attention!
Along with the help of Doorways of Chicago we have here rounded up some of the most beautiful, iconic homes in and around the city, straying away from lavish modern mansions and high rise buildings to instead focus on those understated off-the-beaten-path homes that have charm, history, and character in abundance.
Of course, there are so many it’s inevitable we’ve missed a good number of them so if you have any hidden gems to recommend or have any information about these buildings please get in touch at chicago@secretmedianetwork.com.
1. The Moorish ‘keyhole building’ in Gold Coast
Address: 1300 block of N. Dearborn Parkway, Gold Coast Historic District, Chicago
2. The Richardsonian Romanesque ‘Cable House’ near Michigan Avenue
Address: 25 East Erie Street, Chicago
3. This Queen Anne home with heavy Moorish & Eastlake influences in Ukrainian Village
Address: 1100 block of N.Hoyn, Ukrainian Village, Chicago
4. This French Chateauesque home in Kenwood
Address: 4900 block of S Ellis Ave, Kenwood, Chicago
5. The Queen Anne & Romanesque style home of Alonzo Fuller in Kenwood
Address: 4800 block of S. Ellis Ave, Kenwood, Chicago
6. The Italianate Workers Cottage home of Frederick Wacker in Oldtown
Address: 1800 block of N. Lincoln Park West, Oldtown, Chicago
7. This Chateauesque & Second Empire home in Southport Corridor
Address: 1400 block of W. Addison, Southport Corridor, Chicago
8. This heavily adorned Italianate Workers Cottage in Oldtown
Address: 1700 Block of N North Park Ave, Oldtown, Chicago
9. Architect Frederick R. Schock’s Romanesque residence in Austin
Address: 5800 block of W Midway Park Blvd, Austin, Chicago
10. The Walter Gale House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park
Address: 1000 block of Chicago Ave, Oak Park, Chicago
11. This Victorian home with Moorish & Eastlake influences
Address: 200 block of Forest Ave, Oak Park, Chicago
12. Keith House in South Prairie Historic District
Address: 1800 block of South Prairie District, Chicago
13. This Dutch Renaissance beauty in Logan Square
Address: 2400 block of N. Kedzie Ave, Logan Square, Chicago
14. The home of Herman Weinhardt in Wicker Park
Address: 2100 block of W. Pierce, Wicker Park, Chicago
15. The Augustus Warner House in Gold Coast Historic District
Address: 1337 N. Dearborn Sreet, Gold Coast, Chicago
16. The Queen Anne style home of Adolph Bergmeier in Wicker Park
Address: 1500 block of N. Hoyne Ave, Wicker Park, Chicago
17. This French Chateauesque home in Logan Square
Address: 3000 block of W Logan Blvd, Logan Square, Chicago
18. The Carpenter Gothic Frances Willard House in Evanston
Address: 1700 block of Chicago Ave, Evanston, Chicago
19. This Dutch Renaissance home in Wicker Park
Address: 1600 block of N. Leavitt, Wicker Park, Chicago
20. This Queen Anne style home in Evanston
Address: 1200 block of Hinman Ave, Evanston, Chicago
21. This Richardsonian Romanesque style home in Gold Coast
Address: 100 block of E. Bellevue Place, Gold Coast Historic District, Chicago
22. The Wheeler Mansion in South Prairie Historic District
Address: 2000 block of S. Calumet, South Prairie Historic District, Chicago
23. This Second Empire home in Kenwood
Address: 1500 block of E. 50th Street, Kenwood, Chicago
24. The Catherine Schlect House in Austin
Address: 5800 block of W. Race Av, Austin, Chicago
25. This carved limestone gem in Wicker Park
Address: W Concord Place, Wicker Park, Chicago
26. This resilient Second Empire home in Lakeview
Address: N. Sheffield Ave near Belmont, Lakeview, Chicago
27. This Shingle-style home in Evanston
Address: 700 block of Forest Ave, Evanston, Chicago
28. This 130-year-old Queen Anne home in Austin
Address: W Midway Park Blvd, Austin, Chicago
29. This Queen Anne style home in Evanston
Address: Michigan Ave, Evanston, Chicago
30. This modified Workers Cottage with Eastlake influences in Logan Square
Address: 2500 block of W Logan Blvd, Logan Square, Chicago
31. This stunning Shingle-inspired home in Kenwood
Address: 4700 block of S. Kimbark Ave, Kenwood, Chicago
32. These stunning Rowhouses in Bronzeville
Address: 4700 block of S. Prairie Ave, Bronzeville, Chicago
33. This Shingle home in Evanston
Address: 1200 block of Hinman, Evanston, Chicago
34. This stunning Queen Anne home in Gold Coast Historic District
Address: 100 block of E. Schiller St, Gold Coast, Chicago
35. The Marie Schock House in Austin
Address: 5700 block of W. Race Ave, Austin, Chicago
36. This satisfying Italianate home in Kenwood
Address: 4800 block of S. Woodlawn Ave, Kenwood, Chicago
37. The Beeson House in Austin
Address: 5800 block of W. Race Ave, Austin, Chicago
38. This glamorous Georgian home in Evanston
Address: 1000 block of N Sheridan Road, Evanston, Chicago
39. This magnificent mansion in Andersonville
Address: 1400 block of W. Berwyn Ave, Andersonville, Chicago
40. This Shingle-inspired home in Austin
Address: 5900 block of W. Race Ave, Austin, Chicago
41. This remarkable Georgian home in Ravenswood
Address: 4700 block of N. Paulina, Ravenswood, Chicago
42. Another superb Shingle-style home in Evanston
Address: 1100 block of Michigan Ave, Evanston, Chicago
43. This Modified Shingle-style home in Edgewater
Address: 5700 block of N. Magnolia, Edgewater, Chicago
44. This charming couple in Bronzeville
Address: Grand Blvd, King Drive, Bronzeville, Chicago
45. The Second Empire style Frances Dewes Home in Lincoln Park
Address: W. Wrightwood, Lincoln Park, Chicago
46. This charming Italiante home in Evanston
Address: 500 block of Judson Ave, Evanston, Chicago
47. The Dr. John A. McGill and Carrie Coonley French Chateauesque Mansion
Address: S. Drexel Blvd between 49th and 50th, Kenwood, Chicago
48. The Cardinals Mansion in the Gold Coast Historic District
Address: 1555 North State Parkway, Gold Coast, Chicago
49. This Second Empire style home in Lincoln Park
Address: 2000 block of N. Cleveland, Lincoln Park, Chicago
50. Clarke House (the oldest surviving home from the Great Fire of 1871)
Address: 1800 block of South Prairie Historic District, Chicago
*This article was made in collaboration with Doorways of Chicago: a small Chicago-based business offering photo prints, greeting card collections, and spring, summer, and architecture walking tours. Originally an Instagram venture, Doorways of Chicago shares a passion for vintage, historic, and iconic architecture from places across the USA and around the world.
You can find out more about Doorways of Chicago at www.doorwaysofchicago.com or via Instagram at instagram.com/doorwaysofchicago.
[Featured image from www.doorwaysofchicago.com]