A Row of Houses
[2100-44 N. Fremont Street (1875) Chicago; Edward J. Burling, architect /Images & Artwork: designslinger.com]
After the disaster known as the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, it was a good time to be an
architect in the city. In the years immediately after the fire Chicago experienced a building boom and there was tons of work for builders and designers. Edward Burling had been one of the first people in the city to practice professionally under the title "architect" and while most of the buildings he designed were destroyed in the fiery inferno, his office kicked into high gear to replace many of them with new structures which happened to look very much like the old ones.
[Front facades of Fremont Row /Images and Artwork: designslinger.com]
The city was in desperate need of housing and the row house was an efficient way to get
the largest number of units onto a city block as well as very profitable. Burling designed this group of houses in 1874-5 which sold for $4500 per unit. This was at a time when the average worker earned about $9.00 for a 60-hour, 6-day work week.
[Italiante details /Images & Artwork: designslinger.com]
The rather simple exterior facades were decorated with bits of Victorian Italiante detailing
and interiors that included a formal parlor, dining room, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, and a basement. Burling designed several other row house blocks in the area, and a street is even named for him. He had a prolific career right up until his death in 1892, designing large commercial buildings in downtown Chicago as well as mansions for the very wealthy.
I recently saw an ad for one of the houses in the row listed for sale at $1,425,000, and
according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the current average wage earner in the U.S. brings home $1105 for a 40-hour, 5-day work week.
See a related Burling post: Art In A Marble Mansion.
Posted by designslinger at 4/19/2010 3:00 AM 
Categories: Architecture, History, Preservation
Tags: Chicago row houses Fremont Street Edward J. Burling
Categories: Architecture, History, Preservation
Tags: Chicago row houses Fremont Street Edward J. Burling
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