Uploads from chicagogeek

John Burns House (1938)

nobody@flickr.com (chicagogeek) — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:06:32 -0700

1708 Lake Avenue
Wilmette, Illinois
Architect: R. W. Stott

All the characteristics of the art moderne style: flat roof with parapet, horizontal and vertical bands recessed in painted black brick, windows wrapped around the corners, glass blocks, and projecting stainless steel overhangs. Wilmette is home to another significant art moderne house, this one designed by architect Andrew Rebori.

Gauler Twin Houses (1908)

nobody@flickr.com (chicagogeek) — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:51:52 -0700

chicagogeek posted a photo:

NRHP ##77000475
5917 and 5921 N. Magnolia Ave.
Chicago, IL
Architect: Walter Burley Griffin

Designated a Chicago Landmark in 2000, this pair of wood-and-stucco residences were built as speculative housing for butcher John Gauler. Because they were an investment, Gauler immediately sold them upon completion. The contractor was A. W. Dickenson, who would make his own home nearby in the area at 1308 W. Thorndale. One of the first commissions Griffin had after beginning his own firm in 1906, the houses share a front entrance walkway and their floor plans are mirror images of one another.

Mineola Marine

nobody@flickr.com (chicagogeek) — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:57:55 -0700

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Fox Lake, Illinois

Mineola Hotel (1884)

nobody@flickr.com (chicagogeek) — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:27:32 -0700

chicagogeek posted a photo:

NRHP #79003785
91 Cora Avenue
Fox Lake, Illinois
Architects: Alphonse Howe & Charles Caskey

Built in 1884 by the same architects who designed the famed Grand Hotel on Michigan's Mackinac Island, the Mineola was commissioned by Members of the Chicago Board of Trade. At the time, the Chain o' Lakes had a booming resort industry, due largely to increased access to the area by train. The 100-room hotel boasted hot and cold running water, a beautiful natural setting, boating, fishing and hunting opportunities...all for the affordable rate of $2 and up per day. In 1891 it was converted to a public hotel to accommodate the growing number of tourists in the area. During Prohibition the hotel was known as a favorite get away for Chicago mobsters, including Al Capone who supposedly used it as a hideout. Apparently Fox Lake had its own vice districts as the Chicago Tribune reported it was “…worse than the levee of the city.”

In 1979 the Mineola was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and may be the largest wooden frame structure in the state at 225 feet long and four stories high. It has been owned by the Jakstas family since 1943. Unfortunately, Fox Lake condemned the building in 2012 and has been engaged in court proceedings with them regarding its deteriorated condition. A local citizens group, The Mineola Preservation Project, hopes to raise funds to make minor repairs until a developer willing to purchase and rehabilitate the property can be found. The building is currently on the Landmarks Illinois 2013 Ten Most Endangered Historic Places list.

Here's a picture of what the place originally looked like back in its heyday.

Mineola Hotel (1884)

nobody@flickr.com (chicagogeek) — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:27:31 -0700

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Mineola Hotel (1884)

nobody@flickr.com (chicagogeek) — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:27:31 -0700

chicagogeek posted a photo:

Mineola Hotel (1884)

nobody@flickr.com (chicagogeek) — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:27:31 -0700

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nobody@flickr.com (chicagogeek) — Sat, 11 May 2013 21:49:56 -0700

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