Francis R. Dickinson House
[Francis R. Dickinson House (1911) Jenney, Mundie & Jensen, architects /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
It's hard to know who came first when the decision was made to design this house in a Georgian Revival style, the architect or the client. The architects, Jenney, Mundie & Jensen had already designed a similarly-styled house across the street, and the owner Francis R. Dickinson would have known that his house would be among a cluster of 5 other similarly designed houses, since they were all built within a year of each other by business acquaintances of his.
[Francis R. Dickinson/Betrand Goldberg House, 1518 N. Astor Street, Chicago /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
Maybe the Georgian decision was made for them. As the 19th century turned into the 20th, house styles were changing for some members of the upper class. The less ostentatious and less pretentious looking London townhouse of the Georgian era was becoming popular as a way to display your wealth tastefully. The Dickinsons were members of that class, and enjoyed living in their rather sedately facaded 20-room house, until deciding that it was time to downsize. They sold their house to the Walter Meads for $50,000 in 1940, and followed their other downsizing friends to an apartment building on nearby Lake Shore Drive.
By 1954 the Meads were ready to sell and found a buyer in Nancy Florsheim Goldberg, the daughter of Irving Florsheim, chairman of Chicago's Florsheim Shoe Company. She also happened to be married to architect Bertrand Goldberg. It wasn't long after the Goldbergs set-up housekeeping in their Astor Street mansion, with kids and servants in tow, that Goldberg, the architect, designed one of Chicago's iconic landmarks, Marina City.
The house is still in good hands, owned by another famously named Chicago family who have lovingly maintained its simple, yet elegant, Georgian heritage.
See another Jenney, Mundie & Jensen Georgian across the street at: Cyrus Bentley House, and its next door Georgian-styled neighbor, the: William H. McDoel House.
Posted by designslinger at 11/3/2011 4:28 AM 
Categories: Architecture, Architects, History
Tags: Jenney Mundie and Jensen Gold Coast mansions Astor Street
Categories: Architecture, Architects, History
Tags: Jenney Mundie and Jensen Gold Coast mansions Astor Street
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