East Village Building Restoration, Chicago

This 1887 four unit building exhibits many characteristics unique to the Victorian era. The building is organized with a tall storefront space on the groundfloor and two apartments each on the second and third floors. The floors were penetrated vertically by a three skylit shafts which brought light and ventilation to interior rooms and the store. A series of closets tucked beneath the main stairs opening into the corridor enclosed toilets, an extremely comfortable arrangement for the time. The interior woodwork was overscaled and the hardware characteristically ornate. Despite having been vacant for nearly forty years, the building was in marvelous condition. With the exception of the storefront, which had been entirely gutted by fire in the 1930's, the building was completely intact.

The building underwent a complete restoration, and recieved new mechanical and electrical systems. The sheet metal cornice, long since removed, was replaced with a new one designed in the spirit of those on similar neighboring buildings. Similarly the original storefront, removed and bricked-up decades earlier was restored. New paneled wood bulkheads were installed beneath large divided-light windows, the size of which were determined from paint patterns on the adjacent cast iron columns. The original vestibule configuration was restored using nail holes visible in the basement as a guide. The exterior of the building underwent a complete cleaning and was re-pointed using the original red mortar. The basement below the store was excavated to add headroom. The digging revealed foundations from an even earlier building on the site. The restoration returned a living piece of Chicago history to use.