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By Cynthia Bates, Class of 2016

Personal Glimpses into the Lives and Fortunes of Some Owners

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The two-hour Evanston Walking Tour covers stately churches, grand homes, and a tutorial of residential architectural styles.  At the end, I often ask tour takers which house they would prefer to live in. This often provokes a lively discussion and a variety of design preferences. Throughout, guests are curious about the home owners, and while we don’t often have much information, occasionally we get some intriguing glimpses. This article highlights some unexpected aspects, including some personal revelations about the home builders and owners.

Looking at these diverse houses reminds us that residential commissions were often a collaboration between the architect and home owner, the architect translating the latter’s tastes into the design. Interesting in this connection are the private residences designed by architects associated with early skyscrapers. Thus William Otis, partner of William LeBaron Jenney, who together had designed the Home Insurance Building in 1894 (arguably a plausible candidate for the first skyscraper) was hired to design the 1894 Humphreys H. C. Miller Residence (1707 Hinman). This is a Carpenter Gothic creation that resembles a large Swiss Chalet with gables, half timbering, and ornamental balconies. His designs for Northwestern University, like Lunt Hall, or homes such as the C.E. Gill residence in Kenwood, for a while owned by the Obama family seem more typical of an architect of his background.

And Evanston resident William Holabird of Holabird and Roche designed several homes in 1890—the F.K. Stevens Residence at 1422 Judson and the Robert Clark Residence at 1110 Michigan. Both are in the highly ornate and confusingly named Queen Anne style. Popular in the last decades of the 19^th century, this style had nothing to do with the 18^th century Queen Anne, when the predominant style was then English Baroque–think Sir Christopher Wren. Instead, Queen Anne style celebrates “more is more” or “too much of a good thing is wonderful”, with varied surface textures and materials, often wood, turrets, towers, gables, pedimented porches, oriel and bay windows, etc. One commonality seems to be a preference for more rather than less ornamentation; a personal design preference of course, but also this kind of display signals wealth and success.

Intriguingly, in one case we have some personal insight into the fortunes of the owner. The massive Charles Congdon residence (1892, A.M. F. Colton & Son, 405 Church) is an opulent greystone mansion in the Romanesque Revival style associated with H. H. Richardson, with heavy and rounded arches, and for good measure, Flemish (Dutch) gables and a porte cochere. Quite fitting for a successful grain merchant with an over-achieving resume: Chicago Board of Trade member, Evanston Township HS Board President, and alderman and president of the Evanston Boat Club. In 1897, he suffered some financial reverses of unknown origin though possibly the lingering effects of the panic of 1893 and subsequent depression. The family had to economize, selling the house to a fellow grain merchant who eventually deeded it to Northwestern University. A theme popular in literature as well as the real world:

“They must retrench; that did not admit of a doubt…but very anxious to have it done with the least possible pain.” Jane Austen, Persuasion, Chapter 2

And two stops later, we arrive at the Dr. Ela Clapp Residence (1875, James C. Connor, 1427 Judson), a graceful Italianate structure with columns, pedimented windows, brackets, and a double porch with balcony above. Most tour takers feel the Congdon family did not fare too poorly, and some comment that the house has a “Southern” feeling to it, reminiscent of Charleston, S.C. A legend says that the second-floor porch was added when the daughters started courting, so that their parents could sit there and observe. Mr. Congdon continued in business, and in 1904 was still listed as doing business with CBOT, with a new partner joining his firm.

We’ll complete the tour next week.