Some History

The Great Chicago Fire in 1871 left one in three Chicagoans homeless. At the time, the cottage housed the working class and was the dominant house type with its gable front and adaptable rectangular footprint. However, most of these homes had wooden frames and were destroyed in the flames. After the fire, Chicago saw a spike in population and a housing boom. The modernized brick variant was an attempt to create a more fireproof home, that was often built 2 stories tall to accommodate the growing city’s population. These brick cottages were typically built with windows that had decorative stone hood moldings.