25 Sep hiding in plain sight. pre-fire cottage parked behind salerno’s pizza place in west town
September 25, 2026
in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Uncategorized
this altered 19th-century raised wood-frame cottage, across the alley from salerno’s pizza of chicago in west town, has long intrigued me. its distinctive multipart painted-pine window hoods remain remarkably intact. the cottage was likely moved back from grand avenue—then called either owen or indiana street—to make way for the surviving late-19th-century three-story building in front.
the cottage was likely built at ground level, raised on a brick foundation when sewer lines reached grand avenue in the 1860s, and then rolled back to its current site. two cottages to the west were similarly elevated, while their unfilled, sunken lots still trace chicago’s original 1850s–1860s ground level after the surrounding streets were raised.
previous notes on this cottage from years prior:
this modest post-fire wood-frame cottage is a true gem, and i believe it will endure for years to come. although altered, its facade retains distinctive projecting arched, multipart painted-pine window hoods.
my guess is that the cottage followed a common pattern: it began as a single-story structure on a limestone foundation, then was moved to the rear or an adjoining lot when a larger, more modern building was erected in front. a brick first story was built before the cottage was moved and raised, creating additional rental space for boarders.
i stop by this small portal to the past nearly every day, perhaps as a brief respite from documenting the cottages disappearing across chicago’s neighborhoods.
the chicago workers cottage association (cwca) and bldg 51 archive are collaborative preservation initiatives spearheaded by eric j. nordstrom, the founder of the architectural salvage firm urban remains. together, they track, document, and salvage historical fragments from 19th-century workers’ cottages facing demolition across chicago.
