Ansel  Brainerd Cook was a prominent 19th century Chicago stonemason, contractor and Illinois lawmaker.He built a historic Victorian home in Libertyville, Illinois.

     He built his country home in 1878. It  an Eastlake style structure  designed by W.W. Boyington.  It is an 2 and one half stories. First floor contains traditional large public rooms with wood trim and paneling. 

     Second floor.Central hall leading to a series of bedrooms and smaller rooms.These floors currently house Victorian era furnishings and a local history gallery.

     Half story (attic) a very.large attic space accessible by stairs from the second floor.

Exterior:The home is characterized by its steep hipped roof with projecting gable dormers and stately columns that stretch the full height of the 2 and one half story facade. Current facade is stucco.covering wood siding

    The Ansel B. Cook building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It serves as a museum for Libertyville Historical Society

Park View Hotel was built in 1926-7. It was built by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.  It was located on the 300 bloc of Venice Avenue. I  The architect was the firm of Walker and Gillette.  The building style was Northern Italian Renaissance.

     There were 100 rooms. 3 floors.  Ground floor designed for commercial use.  There was a space for a large restaurant and 16 shops.  Upper floors housed the guest rooms.

     The building was a steel reinforced concrete block structure finished with stucco.

     In 1933, this building was purchased by Doctor Albee.  He bought it from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.  He later converted it to a hospital.

     

     This Bath house is located at 1914 West Division Street Chicago.   It originally  opened in 1906.  It is a 2 story building.  The first floor contains the banya hot room, steam rooms, cold plunges, the restaurant and bar area.  The second room is for private services including massage therapy and sleeping rooms

     The exterior of the building features  primarily Chicago common brick with plain features.  The roof is flat it consists of multiple layers of bitumen alternating with reinforced fabric.  The roof edge is defined by brick parapet wall capped with clay tiles or stone.   A skylight provides natural light.

     The building style is utilitarian brick commercial style. The architects are not definitely known.  They may be Levy and Klein.

     The bath house was originally known as the Kaplan Russian Turkish Bath .  The owners were Jewish. The facility served Eastern European Immigrants. It became a cultural hub in the neighborhood.

     The Colluci family owned and operated the facility for multiple decades. They  maintained the traditional atmosphere of the facility.

    The Bath House is one of oldest continuously operating bath houses in Chicago .  It served as a secluded off the book locations for politicians and mobsters to conduct their business.

     The 606 trail bridge over Milwaukee Avenue is a landmarked suspension bridge that transformed a 1915 railway structure into a pedestrian and cyclist crossing.

Design: The structure features prominent white suspension arches, added during rehabilitation to support the bridge without using posts that would block traffic on Milwaukee Avenue below

Safety and Traffic Flow: by converting the old multiple column supported railway bridge, the new design allows for improved safety and traffic flow on the busy street below.

Artistic Element :the arch structure is designed to be lit at night, making it an iconic, artistic and functional feature of the 2.7 mile Bloomington trail, which connects the neighborhoods of Bucktown, Logan Square, Humboldt Park and Wicker Park.

     The path repurposes an abandoned elevated freight line in the area from the 1870’s.

     The bridge over Milwaukee Avenue is primarily made of steel and concrete., combining components from its 1915 origins with modern structural upgrades completed in 2015

     The Noel State Bank building is located at 1601 North Milwaukee Ave Chicago. The bank was founded in 1905 by Joseph R. Noel.   The bank building was built in 1919 -1921. The builder was Gardner  C. Coughlin. He was also the architect for the building. Construction costs were $400,000.

     The building style was neoclassical. Building exterior is clad entirely in ornamental terra cotta. There are large windows divided by engaged pilasters topped with Corinthian Capitals.  The building featured  the original bank vault

     More recently the building was used by Walgreens Drug Store and Barnes and Noble Book Store

    Key restoration and preservation details for Barnes and Noble

  Coffered Plaster Ceiling

     The coffered plaster ceiling  was meticulously maintained as a center piece of the main floor.

Stained glass skylight

     The large decorative stained glass  window in the center of the ceiling remains fully intact and functional.

Custom shelving

    Due to the building’s distinctive wedge shape and internal columns, the store installed unusually shapes shelves to fit into odd angles and nooks

No cafe

   No cafe is featured in the store.

Restricted Vault access

The basement level,home to the vault is currently closed.to the public and repurposed  as corporate office space.

     Super Dawg In is an iconic family drive in restaurant at Milwaukee, Devon and Nagle Avenues in  Norwood Park Chicago.  It was founded in 1948 by Maurie and Flaurie Berman. It is known for its Chicago style hot dogs served on a poppy seed bun.  They originally created the restaurant to fund their education.

     They created a unique car hop experience featuring hot dogs and custom cut fries.  They are famous for their 12 foot Maurie and Flaurie Statues.

     They have opened a second location in Wheeling.

     They initially opened the stand to be a temporary  summer venture, it quickly turned into a year venture.  It was named after popular heroic comic characters of the 1940’s.  The restaurant is now being managed by the family of the original owners.

E

     The congregation was founded in 1908 and has been at its current location since 1910. The congregation purchased in 1912  the Union Church a building dating  1868.  It was destroyed in a fire from 1917.Saint Lawrence Episcopal Church Libertyville Il

Construction and Design

The 1917 building was designed in the Tudor Gothic Style

Designer original not known.

The modern additions were designed by Mike Vander Ploeg who worked to integrate the new space with the original brick Tudor Gothic.

     The original wood church was designed by William W. Boyington

 The physical construction was carried by William D. and Frank Price

     The Old Headquarters of the Polish National Alliance was located on 1514-1520 West Division Street ,Chicago.   The building was designed by Joseph Slopkowski.  It is a 2 story building.

     There is a raised basement.  The exterior on two sides was clad in Ashley limestone wth carved limestone detailing.  2 other sides are clad with unornamented brick.  There is a flat roof.

    The building was built by the Polish National Alliance.  The building style was art deco.  Construction costs were $200,000

     The Polish National Alliance occupied the building from 1938 to 1976.  It is currently being used Studio Gang Architects

     The Laramie State Bank Building is located at 5200 W. Chicago Avenue Chicago. The bank was founded in.1924.  The existing building was completed in 1928 to 1929

     The building is 3 stories.  The style is Art Deco.  The facade is ornate poly chrome featuring motifs of industry and wealth. Included were squirrels, coins, and historic workers.

     The architects were Myer and Cook.

     The bank closed on August 16, 1930.  From 1936 -1946 FHA used the building for offices.   1946 to 1991 used by Citizen National Bank.  Bank seized by federal regulators in 1991.  1990’s –2012 used by various tenants including restaurant/deli, furniture store, and a banquet hall.  2012 Building foreclosed.  It has remained unused.