One of the most common questions we hear in the Northside Neighborhood History Collection is: “Do you have any information on the history of my house?”
Inspired by HGTV’s House Hunters and The New York Times column The Hunt, this blog imagines a fictional house hunt—based upon materials in our archives and online resources.
Meet the Kaehlers
Adelaide and Peter and their children moved to Chicago from Wisconsin in 1886. After renting for over 5 years, they are now looking to buy a home.
Adelaide enjoys writing and would love to have a quiet room when she can write in her journal. Peter is also looking for a spare room where he could meet with customers in the evenings. They like having friends and family visit and seek enough space where they can entertain. They prefer to live in a dry district, away from saloons and breweries. While we don't know their budget, we do know that Peter has a successful coal and lumber business at Fullerton and Clybourn Avenues.
Their must-haves:
- A dedicated or adaptable space for a home office and writing room
- Room to host family and friends
- A home in a dry district
Option 1: The Dauphin Park Dwelling: The first house is located in a new residential development in Dauphin Park, stretching from 87th to 93rd Streets and bounded by Indiana Avenue and the C.C.R.R. rail line. This elegant home is part of a boom in new construction built by local real estate developer S.E. Gross, who predicts this neighborhood will grow to 10,000 residents within five years.
The house features a spacious, inviting front porch—ideal for gathering with friends and family. Inside, the first floor includes a parlor, dining room, kitchen, and two bedrooms, which could easily be repurposed as an office for Peter and a writing room for Adelaide. The second floor has four bedrooms and a bathroom. The area's status as a dry district is currently unclear. While the house has ample space, it is also the furthest from Peter’s business at Fullerton and Clybourn Avenues.
The asking price is $4,000.
Option 2: The Row House on Monroe: Just west of downtown on Monroe Street and Sacramento Avenue, this handsome new row house boasts tall ceilings, elegant moldings, and an enviable location close to Garfield Park.
The home features a stone cellar, a parlor, dining room, and a kitchen with a pantry on the first floor. Upstairs, there are four bedrooms and a bathroom. While the layout offers ample living space, it may not easily accommodate a separate home office for Peter on the main floor. Additionally, there are at least two breweries nearby.
Also built by S.E. Gross, this home is listed at $4,200.
Option 3: The Ravenswood Retreat: Located in Ravenswood, at the corner of Wilson and Wolcott Avenues, this home makes a striking first impression with its distinctive and charming turrets.
Inside, the turreted spaces offer flexible, light-filled rooms that Adelaide and Peter could easily transform into a writing room or home office. Ravenswood residents have been instrumental in establishing a dry district within the village, an important consideration for Adelaide and Peter.
While we have no floor plans or pricing information for this property, an 1893 Chicago Tribune real estate ad lists Ravenswood houses ranging between $2000-$12,000. Given its size and unique architectural features, it is estimated this house would fall towards the upper end of that price range.
The Decision: After carefully considering each option, the Kaehler family chooses Option 3: The Ravenswood Retreat.
It checks all their boxes: a home in a dry neighborhood; room for Peter’s home office and Adelaide’s writing space; and room to host family and friends.
Which house would you choose? Tell us in the comments.
Fact or Fiction? Although the house hunt search is fictional, the information about the Kaehler family and the three houses featured in this blog is based on real records. In fact, the Row House on Monroe and the Ravenswood Retreat are both still standing.
Are you curious about the history of your own home? Check out the following links and explore the tools we used to imagine the Kaehler family’s journey—historic maps, city directories, census records and more.
House History Checklist: Online Sources
Not all house history sources are available online, but here is a listing of some resources that are online.
Getting started
- Guide from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks: Your House Has a History
- Street number changes – Most street numbers changed in 1909. If your house was built before 1909, find the pre-1909 address in this street renumbering guide.
- Street name changes - did the street name change? See this list of street name changes.
General Building Information, including building permits
- Index to the American's Contractor, Chicago's building permit column, 1898–1912
- Digitized building permits from UIC
- Chicago Historic Resources Survey, for pre-1940 structures
- Cook County Assessor’s Office – search to find information on your home
Maps
- Illinois Fire Insurance Maps Online (FIMo; CPL online resources) - high-definition, color fire insurance maps, including Sanborn maps; real estate atlases; plat books and others
- Illinois Sanborn Maps - another source for Sanborn maps. Start with the Chicago Sanborn Maps Index. Also see Sanborn Map abbreviations.
- Some Sanborn maps are also available from the Library of Congress.
- City of Chicago Property Viewer: 80 Acre, Sanborn, and Sidwell maps
- Chicagoinmaps.com gathers links to historic maps of Chicago
Former Residents
- Census Information
- Familysearch.org – free registration required
- Ancestry Library Edition (available through CPL online resources - in-library use only)
- HeritageQuest (CPL databases)
- Census Information - Enumeration Districts (ED)
- To find the EDs for Chicago use https://www.stevemorse.org/ or https://alookatcook.info/. Once you have the ED, search Ancestry Library Edition or familysearch.org
- City Directories
- Ancestry Library Edition (available through CPL online resources - in-library use only)
-
HeritageQuest (CPL databases)
- Reverse Directories
- Chicago Elite Directory 1883-1884
- Blue Book 1890-1915
- 1928 Polk Criss Cross
Newspapers
Available through CPL online resources newspapers section
- Historic Chicago Tribune, Chicago Defender, and Chicago Sun Times
- Chicago Examiner, February 1908 - April 1918
- Newspapers.com Illinois collection
Photographs
- CPL Digital Collections
- Explore Chicago Collections
- Chicago History Museum
- Percy Sloan Collection at Newberry Library - Map of photos
- Chicago Ancestors from Newberry Library
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Charles W. Cushman Kodachrome Slides at Indiana University. Chicago photos are included in this database
Did a crime take place in my house?
Chicago Police Department Homicide Record Index: Homicide in Chicago, 1870-1930
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