The Brewster Apartments

 
[The Brewster (1893) Enoch Turnock, 2800 Pine Grove Avenue, Chicago, January 13, 2010 /Image & Artwork:
designslinger]

As you walk down Diversey Parkway and approach Pine Grove Avenue, the rough stone
texture of the Brewster Apartments comes into view. When you get to the corner and catch a glimpse of the entire building, you can't help but pause for a minute to take it all in.

 
[Detail of the upper floors /Image & Artwork: designslinger]

As your eyes scan the rusticated surface up to the roofline there is a surprisingly delicate ornamentation that rings the top of the structure. The Brewster was designed in 1893 by Enoch Turnock and originally called the Lincoln Park Palace. The bulky mass of the building belies the fact that it is actually constructed of a light-weight steel frame which was cutting edge technology at the time. Surprising then that Turnock used so much heavy masonry as a covering. I was also surprised when I found out that one of the two building entrances was designated for Ladies.

Posted by designslinger at 1/21/2010 2:00 AM
Categories: Architecture, History, Preservation
Tags: Enoch Turnock Diversey Parkway Lincoln Park Palace
 

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  • 1/21/2010 11:43 AM Toni wrote:
    I must have walked by this building 100 times and never noticed how beautiful it is! I wonder what the apartments look like...
    1. 1/22/2010 5:47 AM designslinger wrote:
      I've seen floor plans of the original and 1980s-era layout, and some apartments are large, some small. There is an amazing interior tenant lobby of stairs and walkways made of cast iron that goes from the ground floor to a roofed skylight, but I couldn't get inside to take pics Have to become friends with a tenant I guess.

  • 1/22/2010 4:45 AM Edward wrote:
    The interior is also terrific- cast-iron elevator cages and stairways, frosted glass block floors in the hallways and above, a large skylight. We're told that Charlie Chaplin lived there.
    1. 1/22/2010 5:49 AM designslinger wrote:
      I tried to get into the interior to get some pics, but alas, to no avail. Didn't know that Charlie Chaplin might have called it home during his Essanay days.

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