The Commodore & Company
The Commodore Apartments sit handsomely at the corner of Broadway and Surf Street,
spare on ornament but attractive never-the-less. The building was built in 1897 and was ranked among the "de-luxe" apartments of the period, catering to an "exclusive tenancy."
The venture proved so successful that developer E.J. Lehmann had architect Edmund
Krause design another upscale venture directly across the street. The Greenbrier would have larger floor plans, possibly created for an even more "exclusive" tenant.
By the late 1930s the neighborhood wasn't what you would consider exclusive, and the
buildings were sold. To maximize the new owner's profit potential the large floors plans were broken up to create smaller, and therefore more apartments. It was done with the financial assistance of the federal government under an unusual plan devised during the Second World War. The War Housing Center had been created to provide places for people to live who were streaming into large cities to do war related work. There was a severe housing shortage and a building owner could apply to the Home Owners Loan Corporation for money to fix-up an aging building, as long as the owner provided additional housing units within the existing structure. So, these two luxury buildings were "updated" and chopped up into smaller units. By 1985, the area was in an economic and popularity upswing and the buildings were renovated, and the small apartments of the war years were returned to their original proportions.
Posted by designslinger at 3/4/2010 2:11 AM 
Categories: Architecture, History, Preservation
Tags: Chicago Edmund Krause Greenbrier Apartments Commodore Apartments apartment buildings
Categories: Architecture, History, Preservation
Tags: Chicago Edmund Krause Greenbrier Apartments Commodore Apartments apartment buildings
A few years ago, we looked at a condo unit it the Green Briar. The realtor told of "rumor" that a Capone type gangster visited the building often. At times, he left the building through a tunnel that connected to the Commodore building across the street. Any truth to that rumor? BTW, we didn't buy in this building.
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He supposedly "owned" a speakeasy in the top floor ballroom. Is it true? There seem to be a lot of Capone connections to a lot of places in Chicago and given the times, his reputation and power.....???? And thanks for visiting!
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