| Dates: | 1853-2001 (Bulk dates, 1869-1921) |
| Size: | 1 linear foot in 2 boxes |
| Repository: | Chicago Public Library, Sulzer Regional Library, Northside Neighborhood History Collection, 4455 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625 |
| Collection Number: | nnhc.00032 |
| Immediate Source of Acquisition: | Materials found in collection; no documentation concerning the provenance of these materials exists. |
| Conditions Governing Access: | Materials are open without restrictions. |
| Conditions Governing Use: | Please consult staff to determine ability to reuse materials from collection. |
| Preferred citation: |
When quoting material from this collection the preferred citation is: Ravenswood and Lake View Abstracts of Title Collection, [Box #, Folder #], Northside Neighborhood History Collection, Chicago Public Library. |
| Finding Aid Author: | Original author unknown. Updated and ingested into ArchivesSpace by Allyson Smally, 2021. |
Abstract
This collection consists of abstracts of titles, transfer documents such as trust deeds and quit claims, and building specification records for lots on Chicago’s north side in the Ravenswood, Ravenswood Manor, and Lake View communities.
Historical/Biographical
Lake View Township was an independent political entity from 1857 until 1889, when it was annexed by the city of Chicago. It encompassed the area north of North Avenue, south of Devon Avenue, and east of Western Avenue. Ravenswood was originally a subdivision of Lake View Township that was designed to appeal to commuters who could make use of the Chicago & North Western Railroad to travel in to the city. In addition to residential properties, in the nineteenth century there were a significant number of farms in the area, and an increasing number of business and entertainment venues in the twentieth century. Today Lake View is one of Chicago’s seventy seven Community Areas, and Ravenswood is a neighborhood slightly to the northwest in the Lincoln Square Community Area.
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of abstracts of titles, transfer documents such as trust deeds and quit claims, and building specification records for lots on Chicago’s north side in the Ravenswood, Ravenswood Manor, and Lake View communities. Most date from the 19th century. The abstracts give detailed descriptions of sales and other transfers of property and may be of particular interest to researchers interested in local history, house history, and the development of Northside neighborhoods. The building specifications offer examples of 19th-century construction practices.
Arrangement
This collection is loosely arranged alphabetically according to location, with material from similar streets and subdivisions generally grouped together.
Related Materials
Ravenswood Gardens Homeowners Association Records
Ravenswood Manor Improvement Association Records
Ravenswood-Lake View Community Collection
Subject Headings
- Lake View (Cook County, Ill.: Township)
- Lakeview (Chicago, Ill.)
- Ravenswood (Chicago, Ill.)
- Deeds
- Abstracts of title
- Buildings -- specifications
Collection Inventory
| Box 1 | Folder 1 |
Alta Vista Terrace, number 3844, lot 39 in Southeast Gross's addition to Buena Park · Abstract, 1900-1926 · Tax bills, 1950-1951 · Letter, 2001 |
| Box 1 | Folder 2 | Building specifications, location unknown [1709 W. Melrose Street?], undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 3 | Belle Plaine Subdivision, lot 9 in re-subdivision of lots 11 and 12, abstract [Sulzer family], 1883-1928 |
| Box 1 | Folder 4 | Feinberg's Sheridan Drive Addition, lots 141 and 142, Clark Street and Newport Avenue, abstract, transfer document, and account sheet, 1894, 1952 |
| Box 1 | Folder 5 | Feinberg's Sheridan Drive Addition, lots 141 and 142, specifications for a building on the southeast corner of Clark Street and Newport Avenue, undated |
| Box 1 | Folder 6 | Gross Park, second addition to Chicago, lots 23 and 24 of Block 40, abstract, 1885-1931 |
| Box 1 | Folder 7 | Naslund's addition to Chicago, lots 15 and 16, 2212 W. Sunnyside Avenue, abstract [photocopies], 1890-1915 |
| Box 1 | Folder 8 | North addition to Chicago, known as the East 61 (61 feet of the west 245 of lots 26, 27, and 28), transfer document, 1853 |
| Box 1 | Folder 9 | Ravenswood, south half of the northeast quarter of section 18, Town 40 North, Range 14, abstract, 1883 |
| Box 1 | Folder 10 | Ravenswood, west half of the northeast quarter of section 18, Town 40 North, Range 14, abstract, 1869, 1872 |
| Box 1 | Folder 11 | Ravenswood, lots 21, 22, 23, and 24 in block 1, southeast corner, Wolcott and Lawrence avenues, abstract, 1883-1894 |
| Box 1 | Folder 12 | Ravenswood, east 50 feet of lot 2 in re-subdivision of lots 1, 2, and 3 (except the 4.58 feet of lot 3) in Block 4, Winchester Avenue between Leland and Wilson avenues, abstract [copies], 1873-1926 |
| Box 2 | Folder 1 | Ravenswood, lot 8 in block 13, West Ravenswood Avenue between Wilson and Sunnyside avenues, transfer document, 1869-1873 |
| Box 2 | Folder 2 | Ravenswood, lots 9 and 10 in block 16, Winchester Avenue between Sunnyside and Montrose avenues, transfer document, 1878 |
| Box 2 | Folder 3 | Ravenswood, lots 11 and 12 in block 16, Winchester Avenue between Sunnyside and Montrose avenues, transfer document, 1869 |
| Box 2 | Folder 4 | Ravenswood, lots 13 and 14 in block 16, Damen Avenue between Sunnyside and Montrose avenues, transfer document, 1869 |
| Box 2 | Folder 5 | Ravenswood, lot 24 in block 17, southeast corner, Winchester and Sunnyside avenues, abstract, 1889-1891 |
| Box 2 | Folder 6 | Ravenswood, east 65 feet of lot 24 in block 17, southeast corner, Winchester and Sunnyside avenues, abstract, 1891-1914 |
| Box 2 | Folder 7 | Ravenswood, lot 6, subdivisions of lots 23 and 24 in block 29, East Ravenswood Avenue between Cullom and Berteau avenues, abstract, 1869-1917 |
| Box 2 | Folder 8 | Ravenswood Manor, first addition, lot 38 in block 30, south side of Sunnyside Avenue between Manor Avenue and the Chicago River, abstract, 1905-1921 |
| Box 2 | Folder 9 | Ravenswood Manor, lots 8 and 9 in block 54, southeast corner of Wilson and Francisco avenues, abstract, 1909 |
| Box 2 | Folder 10 | Ravenswood Manor, lots 8 and 9 in block 54, southeast corner of Wilson and Francisco avenues, abstract, 1921 |
| Box 2 | Folder 11 | Ravenswood Manor, lot 29 in block 57; north half of section 13 and east half of northeast quarter of section 14 (east side of California Avenue between Sunnyside and Montrose avenues), abstract, 1909 |
| Box 2 | Folder 12 | Turner subdivision, blocks 1, 2, 3, and 4, abstract [the entire John Turner subdivision ran from Addison north to Grace Street and from Lincoln Avenue west to Damen Avenue], 1894 |
| Box 2 | Folder 13 | Turner subdivision, lots 26, 27, 30, and 31 in block 4, abstract, 1894-1904 |
