The Queen Anne, one of the rarest styles of elegant Victorian homes, can be found in a handful of Chicago's neighborhoods that were developed before the turn of the century, architecture experts say. For example, the Abbott mansion, built in 1891 at 4605 N. Hermitage, is a 15 room Victorian sold last year by the Khamis family to Abbott Laboratories, which sought to capture its history.
"Today, Queen-Anne-style Victorians can be found scattered in the city's older neighborhoods” including Lincoln Park, noted Charles Huzenis, president of Jameson Realty Group.
Architecture buffs estimate that there are about 1,000 Queen Anne-style homes in Chicago, a drop in the bucket when you consider there are more than 200,000 single-family homes in the city.
"Many Queen Anne homes are designated as landmarks or situated within a historic district," said Huzenis.
First designed in England by famed architect Richard Norman Shaw, the Queen Anne style was popularized in America by architect Henry Hobson Richardson in the early 1870s, noted real estate appraiser Henry S. Harrison, author of "Houses: The Illustrated Guide to Construction Design & Systems."
"The architecture of the classic Queen Anne is highly ornate like a wedding cake," Huzenis said. "Usually, these unique buildings stand two or three stories high. They feature a half-timbered frame style with turrets, bays and abundant windows of irregular shapes, roof overhangs, and tall chimneys."
Renovator William Lavicka, of Chicago-based Historic Boulevard Services, gave the following specific list of architectural details found in a typical Queen Anne home. "Embellishments usually include a witch's hat crowned with a weathervane on the top of the turret, and a wrap-around front porch accented with decorative fretwork and ginger bread," Lavicka said. "A variety of surface textures highlight the Queen Anne, including scalloped and clapboard siding. Typically, one or more oriels are featured in the design. An oriel is a one-story bay window supported from below with a corbel or bracket. Often the home's arched windows are crowned with 'eye-brows' or cornice-style molding."
Examples of beautiful, restored Queen Anne homes can be found in several Chicago neighborhoods. In Old Irving Park, one of the finest examples of the Queen Anne-style is the landmark home at 3926 N. Keeler Ave., which was built in 1889 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The historic neighborhood of Wicker Park is dotted with several examples of the Queen Anne style, such as the renovated Victorian 2-flat at 2131 W. Caton St. Other landmark Victorian homes can be found on the 1300 to 1500 blocks of N. Hoyne Ave. and the 2100 block of W. Pierce St.
Although finding an authentic Queen Anne-style home listed for sale can be a challenge, there is one at 2202 N. Cleveland Ave. in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, priced at $2.1 million. One of the most admired homes in Lincoln Park, this pristine 2-story Victorian beauty was built in 1869 by the Swedish Consulate.
The 10-room home has 4 bedrooms, 3-1/2 baths and a detached 3-car garage and an oversized lot. Other features include a Queen Anne-inspired wrap-around porch, a 24-by-17-foot family room with fireplace, and a large private patio with fountain, a rose garden, and landscaped grounds. |
