05 Oct quintessential 1880’s chicago cottage on maud street handed death sentence despite well-maintained facade

while poring over demolition permits issued over the past few days, a particular brick cottage jumped forward. the facade of this exemplary mid-1880’s brick cottage – replete with deeply incised keystones, paneled bargeboard and bracketed cornice – nearly made my heart skip a beat. i was, and still am, in disbelief over the fact that someone would want this house smashed into the ground.

a bit of research indicates that this well-maintained 19th century cottage was constructed around 1885 as a two-story boarding house. droves of working class german immigrants called this place “home” for the next several decades. remarkably, the original arched recessed panel double doors with clear panes of glass and surrounding jamb have seen little alteration since the time the house was first completed. in addition, the carved sandstone keystones and fanciful angled fret-sawn wood brackets tucked under the protruding cornice are in great condition. the following images provide a visual record of the cottage’s facade taken just the other day. by week’s end, the house will be long gone, callously erased from the cityscape.