An Artistically Architectural Community
In urban history a story is often told about artists moving into older, neglected areas
of large cities because the rent is cheap, and artists are generally poor. In the late 1920s, an enterprising Chicago based artist got a few friends interested in moving into a neighborhood originally settled by the German speaking community in the 1870s. But the area was changing, becoming more transient, on the decline, and therefore cheap to live in.
When artist/contractor/entrepreneur Sol Kogen took up residence at 155 W. Burton Place,
in the 1920s, the street was known as Carl Street. The building was nothing remarkable, just one of a number of 1880s era Victorians that lined the street. But Sol was an enterprising individual, and he convinced a few of his artist friends to help him convert the "old" Victorian into an contemporary, modern structure. It was the beginning of the arts community settling into Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.
Over the next decade, the future Burton Place was transformed. The Victorian
bric-a-brac was removed, the Mansard roofs were demolished, projecting bays stripped of ornament and bricked over, and window openings reworked as the artist/owner saw fit. #151 was built in 1887 and remodeled in the 1930s, which is apparent when you consider the Streamline-Moderne windows. Supposedly, they were scavenged from the 1933 Chicago World's Fair when the giant exhibition closed and demolition began.
In this panel of pictures you can see what the original buildings looked like and how
they were reworked. The photo on the left shows a Victorian era facade alongside a remodeled facade created when Kogen and several artists converted a group of buildings along this side of the street. In the picture on the right, the redone #161, overwhelms its Victorian neighbor at #159.
The photo on the left shows #147 with its intact 1880s facade; take note of the projecting
bay window. The photo on the right is #152. You can still see the outline of the original bay of #152, but it has been enclosed and given a sleeker, cleaner profile which was much more in keeping with the "modern" style of the 1930s when this building was redone.
Here at #161, you can't help but feel the pull of the contemporary design aesthetic of
1940, which obliterated the Carl Street building which was constructed in 1879. The original structure was divided into several apartments for the thriving art community which was springing up all over Old Town.
If you look closely at the flat facade of #160, you can see hints of the original window
openings in the shadows created by the brickwork. This building contains a line of what look to be terra-cotta glazed tiles. There was no artist's signature, so I would have to guess that whoever redid the building, might have been the artist who created the wall sculptures.
Here are some close-up shots of the sculptural pieces.
This is one of my favorites on the street. When you are riding the La Salle Street bus
southbound, you can't help but notice this building at the corner of Burton Place. The Moderne design continues along the La Salle street side of the apartment house, and was built by artist Theophil Reuther. I should say he reworked an original 1890s building into Theophil Studios apartments at #143.
These buildings are still lovingly maintained. I have no idea whether or not artists still
occupy any of the apartments which were carved out of large Victorian homes years ago, but it's nice to see that the reworked, remodeled buildings have survived. Right down to the sidewalks.
Posted by designslinger at 7/1/2009 2:28 AM 
Categories: Architecture
Tags: Burton Place Artist's residences Chicago's Old Town neighborhood
Categories: Architecture
Tags: Burton Place Artist's residences Chicago's Old Town neighborhood
Great post, once again. I love your observations about the evolution of these buildings over the years. And I know I shouldn't covet my neighbor's pictures, but those are some delicious looking numbers... Mmm...
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We live in the building at 160 and not only has the building been lovingly maintained on the outside (our landlord is very protective of the terra cotta decorative tiles you featured), but he has completely revamped the inside, as well -- while still maintaining the original stained-glass windows and enormous brick fireplace. This street is a very special block in Chicago and we are thrilled to be a part of it.
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Thank you so much for writing! We love your block, and how wonderful that your landlord has done so much to preserve the integrity of your building's unique architectural heritage.
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Hi there, I stumbled on this site and was extremely pleased. I can add a bit more info to your collection. I worked on this building steadily from 1992 to 2004 and only occasionally after that. I'm afraid that the only artists there were the ones that worked there during those years. It's now a condo building but the folks there really do care about the place. At the moment I am rebuilding a section of the sidewalk. I keep a picture diary of the progress if you're interested and will hopefully finish the section of sidewalk on next Saturday. Thank you for caring about the place! A lot of us have poured our hearts into our work there and most of us will be forgotten but the beauty of Lady Burton still stands!
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Thanks for taking the time to write. Your comments add so much to the post. You've done a lot to keep Burton the unique street it is and deserve a second thanks for all your work and commitment.
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claudia did a beautiful job on the sidewalk in front of 155. for those who are interested in seeing the extraordinary range of Edgar Miller's work--which influences all of Burton Place, go to CityFiles Press website and buy "Edgar Miller and the Handmade Home." It is a beautiful and rare look at the Edgar Miller buildings in Old Town, all of which are in private hands.
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Thanks for the tip about the book.
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I currently live in 143 W. Burton the Theophil Studios. Thanks for writing about the block. I didn't know many of the things you shared about the various buildings. I was told once that a picture exists of my building when it was a single family home before it was renovated into apartments in 1940. Do you know where I could find this? or maybe one of your readers know of old pictures of this block.
As a side note, the amount of marble that was put into the inside of the building is really amazing. Those poor artists had some nice resources.
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You might try the Chicago History Museum which has an online photo collection from the old Chicago Daily News memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/ichihtml/cdnhome.html You can also try the online collection of the Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/rr/pr.html and do a search under Chicago and La Salle Street to start. Love hearing from people who live in, or once lived in, the places we post about. Thanks for writing!
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I recently went to a lecture about Edgar Miller's works on this street. There's a new book out now called "Edgar Miller and the Handmade Home" that goes over the relationship between Sol Kogen and Edgar Miller, and Edgar Miller's contributions throughout Chicago. Keep an eye out online for the next lecture... I think they're going to do it with the Chicago Architecture Foundation. :-)
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Thanks for the info.
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