Thursday, February 19, 2009

Burling Row House District






Burling Row House District ...
Address: 2225-2245 N. Burling Street ..
Year Built: 1875
Architect: Edward J. Burling ..
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: November 15, 2000 ..



The plaque reads ... "One of the city's best surviving row house grouping's from the period after the Chicago Fire of 1871, they were among the first buildings constructed after a city ordinance required "fireproof" masonry construction citywide. They are significant examples of the Italianate style, which dominated Chicago architecture between the Civil War and the late-1870's. Their designers was one of the city's earliest and most important architects.
Designated on November 15, 2000 ...
Richard M Daley, Mayor
Commission on Chicago landmarks"...




Since these houses were designed as a unit, the row houses have an exceptional architectural unity with common setbacks, scale, and height. They are further distinguished for their fine window ornament and a very rare, intact wooden cornice that all ten houses share ... In the above image we also see the original "pent-style" porch roof ...

REF: Chicago Landmarks: Burling Row House District ... click here ...

What's a pent roof???
They were rather common on the early homes but now they’re almost extinct. A pent roof is a small single-slope roof that is attached to a house just above the first floor’s windows and doors. It’s self supporting, without posts, columns or brackets. It sheds water away from the home’s foundation and main level windows and doors and also shades windows from direct sun, like a modern awning.




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