The Salvation Army Trains in a Tilt House

 
[Joseph E. Tilt House, Chicago (1914) Holabird & Roche /Image & Artwork: designslinger]

It's hard to imagine this very large house sitting in a very dense urban neighborhood.

 
[Salvation Army Officer's Training Center, 700 W. Brompton Place, Chicago, /Image & Artwork: designslinger]

But that is exactly where the former Joseph Tilt mansion is located. Tucked behind a high
brick wall, protecting the current tenants the Salvation Army, from a highly congested Chicago intersection.

 
[Tilt/Salvation Army Center details /Images & Artwork: designslinger]

By the time Tilt built the house in 1914 he was one of the country's premiere shoe
manufacturers and quite wealthy. The prestigious architectural firm of Holabird & Roche designed the 29-room mansion for the footwear tycoon, his wife and two children. The family only lived in the home for about a year before vacating the manse and high-tailing it to Pasadena, California where many rich Chicago families spent their retirement years. Finally in 1920, Tilt sold the house for a tidy $200,000 to the Salvation Army who planned to use the former home as an officer's training center. The organization has added several dormitory buildings to the property in the intervening years, but the mansion still stands, and according to newspaper reports, most of its original interiors remain intact.

Apparently the hot Pasadena summers were too much for Mr. Tilt. In 1920, the same year
he sold this house to the Salvation Army, he purchased another large Chicago house for $135,000, just a few blocks to the east. Why he chose to sell one house in exchange for another a few blocks away is a mystery. He must have felt comfortable there though because he owned the property until his death in 1930. Unfortunately, that house was torn down and replaced by a non-descript, high-rise apartment building in the 1950s.
Posted by designslinger at 2/22/2010 1:35 AM
Categories: Architecture, History, Preservation
Tags: Salvation Army Jospeh E. Tilt Holabird and Roche
 

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  • 3/3/2010 9:56 PM heather wrote:
    interesting... i always thought that was the SA's from the start. good chicago fact-finding. too bad they don't give tours.
    1. 3/4/2010 4:29 AM designslinger wrote:
      Tours. Great idea. And, since they're always in need of money, they could charge a fee for entry.

    2. 3/15/2011 4:31 PM Robin wrote:
      Tours are given. Mostly at Christmas time during the tea that is held. You can call them for information.
      1. 3/16/2011 3:41 AM designslinger wrote:
        Thanks for the tip!
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