Georgian Restraint
[Lawrence D. Rockwell House (1911) Holabird & Roche, architects /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
So after the heavy stone work and arches of neighboring 1250 & 1254 Lake Shore Drive,
and the Venetian whimsy of the house next door, how did the Lawrence D. Rockwell house end up looking so retrained? The times and tastes had changed.
[Lawrence D. Rockwell House, 1260 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
Even though the same architectural firm designed the Venetian-inspired, knock-off next
door, by the time Holabird & Roche designed this home for the Lawrence Rockwells in 1910, the simple yet dignified Georgian style was much more in keeping with the current WASP-y sensibility. The Rockwells were Chicago Blue Book material (the Blue Book was like a phone book for the elite, a listing meant that the upper crustaceans had decided to include you in their very exclusive, secret society) and the house reflected their status.
[Details, Lawrence D. Rockwell House /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
Another unique feature of this building compared to its three neighbors, was that it sat at
the end of the block and therefore allowed for more street exposure than the other tightly packed houses. It gave the architects the ability to create an entry on Goethe Street rather than on Lake Shore Drive and allowed for a lot more windows on the north-facing wall. The house also came with its own elevator! It was built as a single family home and has remained a one family dwelling throughout its 99-years of occupancy.
[Four Grand Mansions, May 28, 2010 /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
So there you have it, four houses standing out of over the 30 that once lined the 10 blocks
of Lake Shore Drive from Oak Street to North Avenue. There are three more mansions from that grand era of home construction that sit a few blocks north, but those will have to wait for another day.
Posted by designslinger at 6/9/2010 2:36 AM 
Categories: Architecture, History, Preservation
Tags: Georgian Revival Lake Shore Drive Holabird and Roche Chicago
Categories: Architecture, History, Preservation
Tags: Georgian Revival Lake Shore Drive Holabird and Roche Chicago
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