This house is located at 6205 N. Sheridan Rd., Edgewater Neighborhood, Chicago.    It is known as the Joseph Downey House or Berger Park South Mansion.    A building permit for this house was obtained in 1906.  Construction  was completed in 1906.  The architect was William Carbys Zimmerman.   The contractor was M.F.  Powers.  Costs were approximately $20,000.

The building style is American Four Square.    This included cubic forms, hip roofs, and overhanging eaves.

The building is 2 and one half stories high.  The exterior is tan Roman bricks with grey limestone trim.

Also included is a coach house with similar color brick and Four Square style.

Joseph Downey  the first owner was born in Ireland.  He immigrated to Chicago  at the age of  12.   At an early age, he worked as a brick layer.  He became partners with builder James McGraw.  He eventually became a successful building contractor on his own.  One of his well known buildings was the Illinois Central Railroad Station.

From the 1940’s to the 1980’s, this house was used by the Viatorian Catholic order as a residence for its novitiates.   The order sold the house to the Chicago Park District in the 1980’s.     The Downey House and the adjacent Gunder House became part of Berger Park.