Date Agenda Item J (1) October 6, Village Manager s Office Review: LKS

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1 Date Agenda Item J (1) October 6, 2014 Submitted By Tammie Grossman, Director Department of Development Customer Services Village Manager s Office Review: LKS Agenda Item Title An Ordinance Amending Chapter 7 ( Building Regulations ), Article 9 ( Historic Preservation ), Section ( Designation of Historic Landmarks and Interior Historic Landmarks ) of the Oak Park Village Code to Designate the Exterior of the House and Garage Located at 636 Fair Oaks Avenue as a Historic Landmark. Synopsis This is the formal process per the Historic Preservation Ordinance to approve the Historic Preservation Commission s Findings of Fact and recommendation to approve the nomination of the property located at 636 Fair Oaks Avenue as an Oak Park Historic Landmark. Recommendation Village staff recommends acceptance of the Historic Preservation Commission findings and recommendations by Resolution and approval of an ordinance designating 636 Fair Oaks Avenue as an Oak Park Historic Landmark. Fiscal Impact The amount of $250 (account # ) has been budgeted for this item through the Historic Preservation Commission for a bronze plaque and is also the current amount requested. Background The Historic Preservation Ordinance, adopted by the Village Board in 1994, enables the Historic Preservation Commission to recommend, and the Village Board to adopt by Ordinance, local landmarks within the Village. The property must meet one or more of 8 criteria for designation as listed in the ordinance. The ordinance calls for the Commission to hold a public hearing and then forward a recommendation in the form of a Resolution to the Village Board. Upon receipt of the Resolution and nomination report, the Village Board has 30 days in which to designate or reject the nomination by simple majority. Upon approval, the Board shall enact an ordinance designating the landmark. The property at 636 Fair Oaks Avenue is known as the Edward B. Kittle House. The two-story stucco house was constructed in The property is significant for its Prairie School architecture, and for its association with architects Tallmadge and Watson. The property meets the following criteria under section of the Historic Preservation Ordinance Criteria for Designation of Historic Landmarks and Interior Historic Landmarks : (1) Significance as an example of the architectural, cultural, economic, historic or social development or heritage of the Village of Oak Park, the State of Illinois, or the United States;

2 (3) Identification with a person or persons who significantly contributed to the architectural, cultural, economic, historic or social heritage, or other aspect, of the Village of Oak Park, the State of Illinois, or the United States; (5) Embodiment of those distinguishing characteristics of a significant architectural type, or style, or engineering specimen; (6) Identification as the work of a builder, designer, architect, craftsperson, engineer or landscape architect whose individual work is significant in the development of the Village of Oak Park, the State of Illinois, or the United States. On August 8, 2014 the Historic Preservation Commission received a completed Oak Park Historic Landmark nomination form and report for the property at 636 Fair Oaks Avenue. The Commission conducted a preliminary determination of eligibility on August 14, 2014 which determined that the property met four of the criteria for designation contained in the Historic Preservation Ordinance. The Commission held a public hearing on September 11, Legal Notice of the Public Hearing was published in the August 27, 2014 Wednesday Journal and hearing notices were mailed to Village property owners within 250 feet of the site. The Commission approved the nomination as the Findings of Fact and recommended approval of the property as an Oak Park Historic Landmark by the attached Resolution on September 11, 2014 as is mandated in the Historic Preservation Ordinance. Alternatives The alternative would be to take no action or deny the recommendation for Historic Landmark designation. This would potentially fail to provide long-term protection for what the Historic Preservation Commission considers to be an important historic resource within the Village. Previous Board Action None Citizen Advisory Commission Action The Historic Preservation Commission approved the Historic Landmark Nomination Report as findings of fact and forwarded these findings and Resolution to the Board recommending approval of an ordinance designating 636 Fair Oaks Avenue as an Oak Park Historic Landmark. Anticipated Future Actions/Commitments None Intergovernmental Cooperation Opportunities None Performance Management (MAP) Alignment A Governance Priority established for the Planning Division of the Community and Economic Development Department is Long Range Planning Historic Preservation Plan. Attachments Ordinance Resolution/Findings of Fact Attachment A Landmark Nomination Form 636 Fair Oaks Avenue Attachment B Landmark Nomination Report 636 Fair Oaks Avenue Attachment C HPC Meeting Minutes from August 14 and September 11, 2014

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5 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois HISTORIC LANDMARK NOMINATION REPORT Edward B. Kittle House 636 Fair Oaks Avenue Preliminary Determination of Eligibility made by the Historic Preservation Commission on August 14, 2014 Recommendation for Landmark Designation made by the Historic Preservation Commission on Village Ordinance designating Landmark approved by the Village Board of Trustees on

6 Edward B. Kittle House 636 Fair Oaks Avenue Built: 1909 Architect: Tallmadge & Watson Architects Contractor: Guy & McClintock The Edward B. Kittle House at 636 Fair Oaks Avenue is located amid a neighborhood rich in architecturally historic homes. This heretofore unknown design by the architectural firm of Tallmadge and Watson Architects, has within its block on Fair Oaks two landmarked houses the 1908 Charles Schwerin House at 639 by E. E. Roberts and the 1906 Charles W. Helder House at 629 by Charles E. Roberts, Jr. In addition to these two Landmarks, there are two more designs by E.E. Roberts; four more by Tallmadge and Watson; and two by Vernon Watson before he teamed up with Thomas Tallmadge in The historic quality and exemplary pride the neighbors have in their properties was observed by the Village of Oak Park s Community Design Commission and awarded the 600 block of Fair Oaks Avenue the Cavalcade of Pride Block Award in Six-three-six, a Prairie style house built in 1909, rests on a fifty by one hundred seventy-two foot lot on the east side of Fair Oaks Avenue. It is lot number 93 in the Fair Oaks Subdivision. 3 Attribution of the house as a design by Tallmadge and Watson is relatively easy the homeowner has a set of original architectural drawings for the house with the following title block: 1 Village of Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission Data base for the Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie School of Architecture Historic District. See the list in the attached exhibits. 2 The award is posted on the street lamps in the middle of the block. 3 Lot 93 in the Subdivision of Block 7 of the Fair Oaks Subdivision, in Oak Park, South ½ of the Southeast ¼ of Section 6, Township 39 Range 13 East of the Third Principal Meridian, in Cook County, Illinois. As listed in Cook County Recorder of Deeds Book number 109c, pages 191, 192 and 193.

7 Up until recently, 636 had not been identified in the various lists of Tallmadge and Watson designs in the Village of Oak Park. An effort to confirm the house s provenance revealed some interesting information. The Hasbrouck Sprague Survey of Historic Architecture in Oak Park does not list the house at 636 Fair Oaks, nor was it listed in any list of Tallmadge & Watson projects or identified as one in the Village of Oak Parks data base for the Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie School of Architecture Historic District. It appeared to be the same for the Steiner Index 4 until it was possible to sort-out all of the projects by Tallmadge & Watson. Once sorted, two listings for E. B. Little appeared that were of interest. Could this be a typo and should it be a listing for E. B. Kittle? The references did not list an address, only to indicate that the house was in Oak Park and the source was the Construction News of January 02 nd and February 20 th of Tracking down copies of the Construction News 5, it was evident that the listing was in one case a typo on Francis Steiner s part and in the other case on the part of the Construction News. The following is the reference from the January 02, 1909 Construction News : In this case the owner is Ed B. Kittle and Steiner s listing is a typo. Whereas the reference from the February 20, 1909 Construction News lists the owner as Ed B. Little, a typo: 4 References to the Architecture of Oak Park and River Forest compiled by Frances H. Steiner, 1999 The Steiner Index lists information about Oak Park and River Forest houses and buildings. You can find names of original owners, architects, building dates and addresses. The Index lists over 5000 entries from many different sources- See more at: 5 Microfilm copies of Construction News are available through ProQuest, if one belongs to a member agency, but viewing the microfilm is available for a fee, at the Center for Research Library, 6050 S. Kenwood Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

8 There was also some confusion with a review of the Villages building permits for the 636 property. The Village of Oak Park building permit file has an earlier permit on microfilm for the 636 address. Permit number 219 is dated December 16, 1903; lists the owner and perhaps the contractor, as W. H. Sullivan; to build a two-story frame building on lots 94 & 95 at 636 Fair Oaks Avenue. The error here is the address in reference to the lot numbers. Lot numbers 94 and 95 are currently addressed as 638 and 642 Fair Oaks and Cook County records confirm that W. H. Sullivan owned lots 94 and 95. The house that was built with permit number 219, in all likelihood is the house at 642 Fair Oaks. 6 The second permit on file with the village for 636 Fair Oaks is number 1980 dated February 26, In spite of the address listed as 634, it is the permit for the house built at The building permit confirms the contractor as Guy & McClintock. Guy and McClintock advertised as 6 The permit is dated December 16, 1903 which would allow that the permitted house was built in Further research reviewed a 1908 Sanborn map which showed a house on lot 95 and no structures on lots 93 and 94. See exhibits. 7 Cook County Records confirm ownership of lot 93 by E. B. Kittle from 1908 to Cook County Recorder of Deeds Book number 109c, pages 191, 192 and 193.

9 masonry contractors in the local Oak Park newspapers and telephone directories. 8 Guy & McClintock were apparently a favorite of Tallmadge & Watson as they are responsible for at least half of the thirty-one T&W projects in the Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie School of Architecture Historic District. 9 EXTERIOR The Edward B. Kittle house is a cement plaster wood framed, two-story Prairie style design with hip-roofed front entry and adjacent one-story front porch. The front porch was originally open and now the openings are filled with full-height glass w. The roof of the front porch mirrors the slope of the main roof of the building in what appears to be the intersection of several projecting hipped roofs. Actually the main roof is flat with a side-slope to match the porch roof s pitch, creating the illusion of a low sloped Prairie style roof with the requisite extended overhangs. The exterior wall surfaces have horizontal wood banding that is continuous around the building at the head and sills of the windows. This continuous horizontal band of wood trim provides the repetitive horizontal line indicative of the Prairie style. All of the windows in the front elevation are original double hung with the top sash divided into 4/4 or 6/6 glass panes, depending on the width of the window. There was never any art glass included in this design. 8 The Guy & McClintock listing is from the Classified Directory of the Oak Park Telephone Directory, March 1, 1910, p. 95. See Exhibits for more about Guy & McClintock 9 See the exhibits for a list of T&W projects in the FLLW Prairie School of Architecture Historic District, based on the Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission data base, courtesy of Douglas Kaarre, AICP Urban Planner/Historic Preservation, VILLAGE OF OAK PARK

10 Various windows on the other elevations have been added or removed, but the majority of the original units remain in place. A rear first floor porch in the southeast corner of the plan and a second floor balcony above have both been enclosed to make them part of the buildings interior. 10 Interior The front door and flanking sidelights are original, as are the vestibule doors inside. Entering the house through these doors, one is in a seventeen by eight foot entry hall with the original spindled side of the stair to the second floor on the east wall, a cased opening on the south to the Living Room and a cased opening that leads to the now enclosed exterior porch on the west. A door in the northeast corner lead to a closet under the stair landing, but now it has been converted to a powder room. A closet has been added on the other side of the south vestibule wall. Proceeding south through the cased opening to the Living Room, the fireplace is on the south wall. It is made of standard-sized, hard-burned, flash-faced brick of dark reds and brown. A double-row of thin projecting brick just under the mantle top echoes the detailing of the stair spindle screen. The fireplace was originally flanked by casement windows that have been removed and the openings filled. On the west wall there are three double hung windows cased with wood trim to make them appear as a single statement. The ceiling also has wood trim in the plane of the ceiling that follows the line of the perimeter of the room. It is not known if it is original, but it is a treatment well known 10 See the attached exhibits for marked up original floor plans indicating the changes to the original design.

11 to the Prairie Style. A window on the east wall towards the south corner that looked out onto the once open porch has been removed. A wide, open, doorway on the east wall leads into the dining room. The east wall has a large picture window that replaced a high-silled triple set of windows and the south wall had a similar set of three windows flanked by doors that opened onto a now enclosed porch. The windows have been removed and a wide open doorway created in their stead. The flanking doors have been removed and filled-in with solid walls. The ceiling has a wood coffered trim installed that is thought not to be original. The north wall has two doors the one on the left leads to the stair to the second floor and the right originally lead to a service pantry and a kitchen beyond. Currently the pantry and the kitchen have been combined and remodeled into a modern kitchen. The second floor originally had four bedrooms, a servant s room, one full bath and a ten foot by eighteen foot open balcony off two of the bedrooms in the southeast corner of the floor plan. Currently, the balcony has been enclosed and the smallest bedroom has been converted into a master bath. The typical wardrobe detailed in the original drawings still exist and in use. The rear exit door in the kitchen leads to a short stair down to grade and a narrow passageway between the house and the garage. The garage is original. Built in 1917 by the second owner, it is, like the house, sided with cement plaster stucco, flat roofed and with a sheltering roof over the house exit and the garage entry door. 11 As the garage was built eight years later 11 Building permit # 7557 for the garage is dated April 25, The contractor was Geo B. Thompson & Son Co. and the owner was H. A. Huskey. Permit on file at the Village of Oak Park Building Department.

12 than the house by a different owner, builder and an unknown architect it is not part of this submission for landmark status. History of the Edward B. Kittle House Edward B. Kittle and his wife Grace purchased the property (lot 93) from David A Badenoch on October 16, Badenoch only owned the property a little over two years and apparently did not build on the lot as a 1908 Sanborn Insurance map shows no structures on lot 93. Edward Barry Kittle was born in New York in February of He grew up in Hoboken, New Jersey with his parents, Edward C. and Lidia Kittle and his younger brother Frank. 13 By the age of 19 he was a Fancy Goods Clerk in New York City and living with his uncle Dow Kittle and his six cousins. 14 Edward married late. He met a young lady, Grace Virginia Childress and married her on July 26, 1896 in Manhattan, New York. Grace was twenty-three and Edward thirty-five. 15 Within four years they relocated to Downers Grove, Illinois where Edward made a living as an electrical salesman and was doing well enough to employ an 18 year old Swedish servant, Helda Anderson. 16 The Kittles moved into their new house at 636 Fair Oaks in 1910 and the next year their daughter Polly was born. 17 Edward became a manager of the Sprague Electric Works of the General Electric Company and must have been doing well as he sold the house in 1917 to Harley and May Huskey and moved to 718 Linden for about two years, then to 324 Linden were they lived for the next four or five years. 18 They moved again about 1924 to 201 Linden and in 1926 were scheduled to move to 12 Cook County Recorder of Deeds Book number 109c, pages 191, 192 and United States Federal Census; Hoboken Ward 3; Hudson, New Jersey; Roll: M593_864; page: 164A; Image: United States Census; New York City, New York; Roll: 891; page 58A; ED: 514; Image New York, New York, Marriage Indexes Ancestry.com United States Census; Downers Grove, DuPage, Illinois; Roll:298; page: 26A ED:0030; film: Ancestry.com. Mulcahy Stecher Purcell Daly Family Tree. 18 Cook County Recorder of Deeds Book number 109c, pages 191, 192 and 193; 1918 Oak Park Telephone Directory, December 01, 1918, page 62; 1919 Oak Park Directory and Yearbook, January 01,1919, page 24; 1923 Oak Park Directory, January 01, 1923, page 339.

13 Hinsdale, Illinois but for whatever reason, they ended up in Baltimore Maryland. 19 They both died in Baltimore Edward on December 06, 1929 and Grace five months later, on May 06, Edward was 68 and Grace was 57 years old. Photos of the Kittle Houses after selling 636 Fair Oaks: top left 718 Linden; top right 324 Linden; bottom right 201 Linden. (Note Addresses are based on OP Directories of the time and it is not known if they owned or rented the properties.) 21 Subsequent owners Harley Adelbert Huskey and his wife May Kile Huskey purchased the house from the Kittles in April of Harley Adelbert Huskey was born on September 22, 1879 in Carlinville, Illinois to William and Alice Huskey. His father was a railroad fireman and later a traveling salesman. Harley grew up in Bloomington and Chicago, Illinois. His earliest job description was, like his father, a traveling salesman. He met and married Margaret May Kile ( ) and they were married on February 26, They had no children of their own, but did adopt a boy, William, who was born in In his thirties and forties, Harley was in the coal business, but by his early fifties he had his own building contractor business. May Huskey died on March 10, 1946 in Oak Park and Harley died on June 13, 1952 in Broward, Florida. May was 66 and Harley was Oak Park Directory, December 01, page 63; 1926 Oak Park Directory, January 01, 1926, page 60; To Make Home in Hinsdale, Oak Park Oak Leaves, January 23, 1926, page Death of Edward B. Kittle, Oak Leaves, December 21, 1929, page 60. Kittle, New York Times, May 07, Actually They owned 324 Linden and it was newly constructed for them by Guy & McClintock. It Could it be another T&W design? Building, Reviving, Oak Park Oak Leaves, May 17, 1919, p Ancestry.com US Census records for 1880, Place: Bloomington, Illinois, Roll:230, page 175c, ED: 161, Image: 0039; 1900, Place: Chicago Ward 6, Cook, Illinois, Roll:251, Page 14B, ED: 0173, microfilm: ; 1910, Place: Chicago Ward 35, Cook, Illinois, Roll: T624_282, Page: 6A, ED: 1513, Microfilm: ;

14 The Harleys were not long term residents, only two years, but in that time they added the garage and enclosed one or all of the porches, the permits are not specific. The garage building permit number 7557, above, is dated April 25, The Owner is H. A. Huskey ; the Contractor is Geo B. Thompson and Son Co and the estimated cost is $700. The architect, if there was one, is unknown. 23 The Huskeys sold the house on March 24, 1919 and moved to 546 North Euclid. The new owner, Walter Sheriffs and his heirs, owned the house for the next thirtynine years. Walter Sheriffs was born in Chicago in December of 1864 to John Jr and Sarah Sheriffs. Walter s father John Jr immigrated to Chicago early in the 19 th century with his parents whose father, John, had started a lumber business in Chicago, the Sheriffs & Smith Lumber Company. It was located at 200 South Canal Street. By 1870, John Sheriff senior gained control of the business and John Jr (Walter s father) joined the business now known as the John Sheriffs & Son Lumber Company. Unfortunately, the lumber company was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of October 08-12, But the business started up again at a new location on Twenty-Second Street. By 1888, John Senior has retired, and Walter, now twenty-four, is now the Son in the John Sheriff (Jr) & Son Lumber Company. It appears all was well until the death of Walters s father on October 31, The Sheriffs lumber company disappears , U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards. Harley Adelbert Huskey U.S. Passport Application, Harley A Huskey, December 21, , Place: Oak Park Precinct 4, Cook, Illinois, Roll: T625_361; Page 2B, ED: 145, Image: 802; 1930, Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois, Roll:471, Page 16A; ED: 1296, Image: 532.0, Microfilm: ; 1942, U. S. World War II Draft Registration Cards. Harley A. Huskey 23 Microfilm permit file for 636 Fair Oaks; Oak Park Village Hall Building Department.

15 from Chicago records of the time and Walter Sheriffs never lists an occupation in any of the census records from 1900 to his death in 1949, except for the 1910 US Census where under Trade or Profession the enumerator listed Own Income. So, it is possible that Walter s inheritance and the dissolution of the family lumber business provided him with the means to be independent for the rest of his life. 24 Walter never married, but his two cousins, sisters, Isabella ( ) and May ( ) Henry lived with him from as early as 1910 through his own death in The sisters were born into an Iowa farm family, Alexander and Isabella Henry, which numbered eight children in Their mother, Isabella, was a Sheriffs, Walter s aunt. The sisters never married and both never listed an occupation in any US Census. 25 Isabella died at 636 Fair Oaks on November 28, 1926 of a lingering illness. She was a member of the Oak Park Pilgrim Congregational Church and fifty-nine years old. 26 May Henry, inherited 636 upon the death of her cousin, Walter Sheriffs in She continued to live there until her own death in May Henry was a tireless worker for various charities and gave much of her time to the American Red Cross, the Chicago Women s Athletic Club, and like her sister, she was an active member of the Oak Park Pilgrim Congregational Church. She died on February 10, US Census Record for John Sheriff, Chicago Ward5, Cook Cty, Roll: M432_102, Image: Chicago City Directory, Sheriffs & Smith Chicago City Directory, John Sheriffs Jr 1880 US Census Record for Walter Sheriffs, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, Roll: 191, Film: , Page65D, ED: 087, Image: Chicago City Directory, John Sheriffs & Son 1888 Chicago City Directory, Walter Sheriffs 1890 Chicago, Illinois, Voter Registration Database, Walter Sheriffs 1889 Chicago City Directory, John Sheriffs 1899 Cook County, Illinois, Deaths Index, : John Sheriffs, Death Date: 31 Oct 1899, Cemetery: Rose Hill, Death Age: 80, Occupation: Lumber Dealer, Race: White, Gender: Male US Census Record for Walter Sheriffs, Place Chicago Ward18, Cook, Illinois, Roll: 268, Page 13A, ED: 0581, Film: US Census Record for Walter Sheriffs, Place: Chicago Ward 20, Cook, Illinois, Roll: T624_262, Page 8A, ED: 0857, Film: Us Census Record for Walter Sheriffs, Place: Oak Park Precinct 3, Cook, Illinois, Roll: T625_361, Page 5A, ED: 144, Image: Us Census Record for Walter Sheriffs, Place: Oak Park Precinct 3, Cook, Illinois, Roll: 504, Page: 18A, ED: 2250, Image: 776.0, Film: Us Census Record for Walter Sheriffs, Place: Oak Park Precinct 3, Cook, Illinois, Roll: T627_784, Page: 63A, ED: B. Sheriffs Walter Sheriffs., Oak Park Oak Leaves, Obit, April 14, 1949, Page Isabella and May were listed in the 1880 US Census, but were only 12 and 8 respectively. Isabella is listed in the 1900 US Census as living in Chicago with her cousin Walter Sheriffs and both have no occupation. The same is true for the 1910 and 1920 census, but she is joined by her sister, May Henry. After Isabella s death, Walter Sheriffs and May Henry continue the same listing in the 1930 and 1940 Census. All three, Walter, Isabella and May, are listed as living at 636 Fair Oaks in the 1920, 1930 and 1940 US Census. 26 Isabella Henry, Illinois, Deaths and Stillbirths Index, , Ancestry.com. Death of Isabella Henry, Oak Park Oak Parker, December 03, 1926, page Miss May Henry Dies at 86, Oak Park Oak Leaves, February 14, 1957, page 16. Hold Services for Miss May Henry, 86, Oak Park Oak Leaves, February 21, 1957, page 63.

16 After May Henry s death, the house went to her niece, Marjorie Harder of Maywood. Marjorie, in April, soon after her aunt s death, applied for a permit to Change wdos (windows) on Enclosed Porch Plaster Clg Panel walls at an estimated cost of nine hundred dollars. And later, in November of 1957 a more extensive and expensive permit was issued for Modernizing Kitchen and Changing Wdos 2 Sun Porches & Kitchen - estimated cost was six-thousand dollars. 28 At this point the Cook County property records are confusing, but it appears that Marjorie Harder sold the house to Francis X. Taglia in The Taglia family lived in the house for almost thirty years. Little is known about the family and it appears that Francis and his wife Natalie are still alive and living in West Palm Beach, Florida. Francis was born in Chicago in The Taglias recorded very few changes to 636. The only permit on record is for the replacement of a sink, water closet and a lavatory in March of The Taglia s sold in May of 1988 to John Lamoureux. John owned the house for just over three years during which the only recorded permit issued was for new inlaid gutters & downspouts in July of John sold to Hans and Barbara Lagoni, the present owners on November 29, The Architects Tallmadge and Watson Architects Thomas Eddy Tallmadge and Vernon Spencer Watson met while they were working in the Chicago office of Daniel H. Burnham. In 1905 they formed the architectural firm bearing their names. Vernon Watson was the chief designer but Tallmadge & Watson announcement of partnership. Tallmadge was more widely known because of his activities as an architectural historian and teacher. They opened their office in the Ashland Block building at the northeast corner of Clark and Randolph Streets in Chicago, Illinois and later moved their practice to the Security Building at 189 West Madison Street, where they continued their partnership for 31 years. 32 The firm soon developed a reputation for designing modest suburban prairie style residences primarily in Evanston and Oak Park, Illinois. But by the second decade of 28 Building Permit 28393, dated April 20, 1957 and Building Permit 28653, dated November 18, 1957 on file for 636 Fair Oaks. Village of Oak Park Building Permit microfilm file. 29 The 1959 Oak Park Telephone Directory, June 1, 1959, p355 lists Francis X. Taglia at 636 Fair Oaks. In the previous year, 1958, Marjorie Harder is listed as living at US Census, Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois, Roll: T627_979; Page: 3B, ED: B. 31 Cook County Recorder of Deeds Book number 109c, pages 191, 192 and 193. Village of Oak Park Building Permit, dated July 21, Contractor: Albany Sheet Metal. Cost $ Partnership announcement courtesy of Chicago History Museum and Peg Zak.

17 the 20th Century, the popularity of the Prairie Style had started to decline and after 1914, the designs of Tallmadge and Watson grew more medieval in flavor and, by the 1920s, there was an even stronger influence of revival styles and also a move into ecclesiastical architecture Gothic being a favorite of Tallmadge. Their first church commission of importance came in 1909 with the design of the First Methodist Church in Evanston, Illinois. This was the first of over thirty churches that would be designed by the partnership which by 1914 was known more for their ecclesiastical rather than their residential architecture. Their residential projects in the Chicago area numbered in the hundreds. In Oak Park s Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie School of Architecture Historic District alone there are over thirty projects designed by Tallmadge and Watson with the six-hundred block of Fair Oaks having five structures by the firm plus two by Vernon Watson - designed prior to the start-up of the partnership. These seven residences are an eclectic mix of prairie and prairie influenced designs plus a Tudor and Colonial revival thrown into the mix. (See Exhibits) Thomas Eddy Tallmadge was born in Washington, D.C. on April 24, 1876 to Lewis Cass Tallmadge ( ), an attorney, and Mary Elizabeth Eddy Tallmadge ( ). His family moved to the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois in 1880 where he was raised and graduated from Evanston High School in He then attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture in His thesis project for a private chapel in the Gothic style displays his early interest in ecclesiastical design. He returned to Chicago and obtained employment as a draftsman in the office of Daniel H. Burnham and Company. Tallmadge was with Burnham for seven years when he won the Falkenau Traveling Scholarship presented by the Chicago Architectural Club in 1904 for his entry "A Crèche in a Manufacturing District". He then spent the summer sketching architectural scenes across Europe. 33 In 1906 Tallmadge became an instructor of architectural design and history at the Armour Institute (now known as the Illinois Institute of Technology), a position he held for twenty years. In 1908 he coined the term "The Chicago School" in an article of the same name written for a magazine called Architectural Review. The termed was used to describe Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries who designed primarily Prairie style residences after the turn of the century. Tallmadge also had written three books on the subject of architectural history, "The Story of Architecture in America", "The Story of England s Architecture" and "Architecture in Old Chicago". 34 After Vernon Watson retired in 1936, Tallmadge practiced alone in his studio at 19 East Pearson Street in Chicago with the exception of a men s dormitory commission at Ripon College which he designed with a 1930 Armour Institute graduate named William Alderman. Tallmadge was also known for designing a street light in the 33 The Prairie School-Frank Lloyd Wright and his Mid-west Contemporaries, H. Allen Brooks, University of Toronto Press, The Chicago School of Architecture, Carl W. Conduit, University of Chicago Press, 1964.

18 1920's that is still in use today in Evanston and Oak Park. On January 1, 1940 Thomas Eddy Tallmadge was killed in a train accident near Arcola, Illinois. He was buried in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois. 35 Vernon Spencer Watson was born in Chicago, Illinois on January 22, 1878 to Charles and Clara Watson. He studied architecture at the Armour Institute of Technology (now the Illinois Institute of Technology). After graduation he traveled through Europe before going to work in the office of Daniel H. Burnham. It was at the offices of D.H. Burnham that he met his future partner, Thomas Eddy Tallmadge. Tallmadge spent the summer of 1904 traveling through Europe and after his return he and Watson decided to leave Burnham. One of the first commissions that Watson was involved in was the execution of the Charles H. Reeves Jr. 36 house for architect Lawrence Buck in the summer of Shortly thereafter in October of 1905 Tallmadge & Watson formed their own partnership. Watson s Prairie ideology was well-defined before the partnership began, as could be seen in the execution of the house he built in 1904 for his wife, the former Emma Bassett, and himself located at 643 North Fair Oaks Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois, just across the street from the Kittle house at 636 Fair Oaks. Initially Tallmadge and Watson were well known for their design of modest priced Prairie residences. As the Prairie movement began to wane by the early 1920 s their commissions turned from Prairie residential to historical ecclesiastical architecture. They were successful in designing churches for many different religions and there are over 25 churches attributed to them in Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska. One of the last projects that Watson worked on was the design of the Julia C. Lathrop Homes, a public housing project in Chicago at Diversey and Damen Avenues. It was a mix of two and three story apartments and row houses designed in collaboration with Thomas Tallmadge, Hugh Garden, E.E. Roberts and others. The partnership between Watson and Tallmadge was dissolved in 1936 when he retired to Berrien Springs, Michigan. He later returned to Oak Park where he died on September 28, 1950 at West Suburban Hospital. He is buried in Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois. 37 The Prairie School had its beginnings in the 1890s, and although its impetus was largely spent by the First World War, its impact was profound. Representing a generation of architects born from the 1860s to '80s, and including (among others) Wright, Walter Burley Griffin, Marion Mahony, William Purcell, George Elmslie, 35 RAIL WRECK; 1 DEAD, 54 HURT, Chicago Tribune, January 2, 1900, page 1. T. E. TALLMADGE, ARCHITECT, DIES IN TRAIN WRECK, Chicago Tribune, January 2, 1900, page The Reeves House is located at 454 West Iowa Street, Oak Park, Illinois. It dates from Noted Architect, Church Designer, Dies Here at 72, Oak Park Oak Leaves, October 05, 1950, p 57.

19 Barry Byrne, Robert Spencer, William Drummond, George Maher, Thomas Tallmadge, Vernon Watson, John Van Bergen, and Louis Sullivan in his later years, it was probably the most thoroughly American architectural expression this country has ever known. Stemming from the philosophical writings of Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman, and deriving, in part, from local traditions in vernacular building, it was uniquely American both in its manifestation and its point of view. It celebrated the landscape in the setting and repose of its buildings, reflected the openness of the prairie and the endless expansion of continent in its interior planning, exalted natural materials and the machine whose processing enhanced their usefulness and beauty, and honored the abstract pattern of structure itself rather than historical forms or self-conscious ornamentation. It was conservative yet revolutionary, manifestly American yet universal in its ideals. At the popular level it helped inspire the recent craze for ranch-style homes, at its most profound it offers a timeless (but often ill-understood) example of how we and future generations, confronted with soaring building costs and ever smaller apartments and homes, can obtain more effective planning and enjoy a new sense of spaciousness which the actual size of our homes would seem to deny. These buildings are an incredible heritage, each in its own way, and even the Least of them helps lend to the tree lined streets of Oak Park, a character which is special as an urban, or suburban, scene. 38 Criteria for Designation Criteria for Designation According to Section 7-9-6(B) of the Oak Park Historic Preservation Ordinance, the Historic Preservation Commission must make a preliminary determination of eligibility after receiving a nomination. A determination of preliminary eligibility must be based upon a finding that there is a likelihood that a nominated historic landmark will meet one or more of the Criteria for Designation" set forth in Section of this Article. The Edward B. Kittle House at 636 Fair Oaks Avenue was nominated under the following criteria: (1) Significance as an example of the architectural development or heritage of the Village of Oak Park; This Prairie style house was designed within the short life span of the one of the true American architectural styles. The firm of Tallmadge & Watson, along with several other architects created an eclectic fabric of the Prairie style in the Village that have become significant to Oak Park s heritage. 38 From the Forward by H. Allen Brooks, July 3, 1975 to the: Guide to Frank Lloyd Wright and Prairie School Architecture in Oak Park, Paul E. Sprague, Second Edition, Follett Publishing Company, 1978.

20 (3) Identification with a person or persons who significantly contributed to the architectural, cultural, economic, historic or social heritage of the Village of Oak Park, the State, or the United States; Tallmadge and Watson were part of the Chicago School (a term coined by Tallmadge) and the Kittle House is an example of the variations of the Prairie style that were created by members of the group (5) Embodiment of those distinguishing characteristics of a significant architectural style; Designed in the Prairie style, the Kittle house has had very few changes from the original built residence. The front elevation is intact except for the infill of the front porch with full height/width windows. The other elevations have had small windows removed or changed and the rear porch and second floor balcony have been enclosed. The Prairie design is expressed in the low sloped roof forms, the extended roof over hangs, and the flat cement plaster walls with wood trim framing the groups of windows that creates a horizontal band around the entire house. (6) Identification as the work of an architect whose individual work is significant in the development of the Village of Oak Park, the State of Illinois and the United States; The Edward B. Kittle House was designed by the firm of Tallmadge & Watson at a period of time when their residential designs were more Prairie style than not. The firm was very prolific in Oak Park having over thirty buildings of their design within the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District alone. A significant amount of these buildings are in the Prairie style with several in a classical style at a time when the popularity of the Prairie style was fading or non-existent. In addition, the property is at least 50 years old and has sufficient integrity of location, design, materials and workmanship to make it worthy of preservation or restoration. Designed in 1909 and finished in 1910, it is just over 100 years old, but still retains its original integrity.

21 OAK PARK HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Rosanne McGrath, Chair Don McLean Chris Payne Joerg Albrecht Dan Moroney Tony Quinn Greg Battoglia Regina Nally Tom Sundling Fred Brandstrader Gary Palese The Commission is staffed by the Planning Division of the Department of Development Customer Services, Village of Oak Park. Nomination Report prepared by: Jack Lesniak, Architect/Historic Research 1101 N. Humphrey Avenue Oak Park, Illinois

22 EXHIBITS Land Marks on the 600 Block Tallmadge & Watson on the 600 Block 1908 Oak Park Sanborn Insurance Map 636 Fair Oaks Cook County Records T & W Projects in the FLLW Historic District T&W Kittle Drawing Changes from original First Floor Plan Changes from original Second Floor Plan Owner Obits Guy & McClintock Contractor Thomas Tallmadge Obit Vernon Watson Obit Tallmadge & Watson Commissions

23 Current Oak Park Landmarked Houses on the 600 Block of Fair Oaks Charles Schwerin 639 Fair oaks Avenue Eben E Roberts 1908 Charles W. Helder House 629 Fair Oaks Avenue Charles E. White

24 Tallmadge & Watson Houses on the 600 Block of Fair Oaks Vernon S. Watson House 643 Fair Oaks Avenue Vernon S. Watson 1904 Prairie Otto H. McFeely 645 Fair oaks Avenue Vernon S. Watson 1905 Prairie Frank H. Lauder House 626 Fair oaks Avenue Tallmadge & Watson 1907 Prairie/ Shingle

25 Tallmadge & Watson Houses on the 600 Block of Fair Oaks Edward B. Kittle House 636 Fair Oaks Avenue Tallmadge & Watson 1909 Prairie William V. Carroll House 611 Fair Oaks Avenue Tallmadge & Watson 1913 Prairie Charles Mather House 601 Fair Oaks Avenue Tallmadge & Watson 1922 Colonial Revival Harold Lewis House 614 Fair Oaks Avenue Tallmadge & Watson 1928 Tudor

26 Watson Houses 1904 & T&W 1909 T&W T&W T&W T&W OAK PARK SANBORN FIRE INSURANCE MAP FOR 1908 Numbers in Red are current address numbers Numbers in Green are lot numbers

27 Edward B. Kittle House County Records Chain of Title Book 1109c, pp. 192, 192, 193. Lot # Fair Oaks DOCUMENT GRANTOR GRANTEE INSTRUMENT DATE OF INSTR. DATE OF FILING DESCRIPTION Christian C. Rohlstaat & wf Joseph Sayer etal WD 5/1/1890 2/13/1992 Lot Hy L Wilson Hy W Austin Deed 2/19/1900 2/19/ Hy W Austin Julius S Lane WD 2/17/1900 3/5/ Julius S Lane David A Badenoch WD 7/19/1906 7/20/ David A Badenoch & wf Grace V. Kittle SWD 10/16/ /21/ Grace V. Kittle &hus Harley A Huskey & wf May WD 4/26/1917 5/2/ Harley A Huskey & wf May Walter Sheriff WD 3/24/1919 3/27/ LR Walter Sheriff (To Whom) 7/22/ /20 Walter Sheriff <D> Ivty 2/27/ Cir Ct Decree 1/13/1953 1/30/ /267 May Henry* (Incomp) Ivty 11/29/ /79 May Henry <D> Ivty 8/6/ Cir Ct 25328ZR Decree 9/11/1958 9/23/ Marjorie Harder Margaret Neeley WD 8/7/1958 9/23/ Margaret Neeley Marjorie Harder QC 8/7/1958 9/23/ Goodman Electric Supply Frank X Taglia et al Nte 3/12/1959 3/16/ Howard Goodman John Aulercout et al Lein 3/18/1959 3/23/ Circuit Court (71L3597) Memo & Judge 3/22/1971 3/22/ Same Same Judg Not DTD 3/20/ Cir Ct CCI 71L3597 Rel after Judg 5/1/1972 6/19/ Sidney Olson AFF 11/21/ /4/ Same AFF 11/21/ /4/ F. X. Taglia & wf Oak Park FSLA R /27/ /4/ T Taglia Natalie A Lamoureux John Warranty Deed 5/3/ T Lamoureux John Lagoni Barbara A Warranty Deed 11/29/ * May Henry is a cousin of Walter Sheriff 28 ** Marjorie Harder is a neice of Walter Sheriff Grace V. Kittle 10/16/ years 32 Harley A Huskey & wf May 4/26/ years 33 Walter Sheriff 3/24/ Walter Sheriff dies years 35 May Henry dies years 36 Marjorie Harder years 37 Margaret Neeley 8/7/ F. X. Taglia & wf years 39 Lamoureux John 5/3/ years 40 Lagoni Barbara A 11/29/ years

28 VOP - HPC FLLW Historic District Data Base - Tallmadge & Watson Sort Address Street Year Architect Contractor Style Owner Comment N East 1915 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Prairie Mrs. A. W. Norman C N East 1909 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Prairie Dale Bumstead C N East 1906 Tallmadge & Watson Prairie Barrett & Hannah Andrews C N East 1907 Tallmadge & Watson F. O. Johnson Prairie W.B. Keel C N East 1916 Tallmadge & Watson Duff & Houston Prairie Influences H. B. Ohrensfeldt C original plans at H.S N Euclid 1920 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Colonial Revival Arthur A. Basse C N Euclid 1909 Tallmadge & Watson Prairie Influences James R. McMasters C American Contractor May 5, N Euclid 1908 Tallmadge & Watson C. C. Dent Prairie Ashley C. & Cora Smith C Fair Oaks 1919 Tallmadge & Watson? Guy & McClintock Colonial Revival McGill C Fair Oaks 1922 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Colonial Revival Charles Mather C Fair Oaks 1913 Tallmadge & Watson Johnson & Company Prairie Influences William V. Carroll C permit filed under in microfiche Fair Oaks 1928 Tallmadge & Watson Milton Pillinger Tudor Revival Harold Lewis C Fair Oaks 1907 Tallmadge & Watson Wolf & Gray Prairie/Shingle Influences F.H. Lender C Fair Oaks 1909 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Prairie E. B. Kittle C Fair Oaks 1904 Vernon Watson William Soderstrom Prairie Influences Vernon Watson C Fair Oaks 1905 Vernon Watson W. A. Pillinger Prairie Influences McFeeley/Wyatt-Cronk C Iowa 1906 Tallmadge & Watson Wolf & Gray Prairie Gustavus Babson #1 C N Kenilworth 1909 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Prairie Charles E. Mathews C N Kenilworth 1907 Tallmadge & Watson C. C. Dent Dutch Colonial Revival Whitney T. Lovell C Linden 1912 Tallmadge & Watson McLennon & Duff Prairie Influences Gustavus Babson #2 C Linden 1919 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Colonial Revival Howard W. Jenkins C Linden 1914 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Prairie Influences Henry D. Golbeck C 1914 garage (same builder - same architect?) Linden 1923 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Colonial Revival W.O. Lewis C Linden 1915 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Prairie E.P. Ward C Linden 1915 Tallmadge & Watson C. Christensen Tudor/Prairie Influences John W. Bingham C N Oak Park 1923 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Tudor Revival First United Methodist Church C N Oak Park 1909 Tallmadge & Watson? W.A. Pillinger Prairie Influences Mrs. McCauley C N Oak Park 1910 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Prairie Influences Harold H. Rockwell C N Oak Park 1925 Tallmadge & Watson Moraw Building Co. Neo-Classical R.G. Lamberson C N Scoville 1909 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Prairie Influences Torrie S. Estabrook C N Scoville 1919 Tallmadge & Watson Harper & Butendorff Prairie Influences George Hemingway C N Scoville 1915 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Art Deco/Prairie Influences Joseph Guy #2 C N Scoville 1913 Tallmadge & Watson Guy & McClintock Prairie Influences Joseph Guy #1 C Courtesy of Village of Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission - June 09, 2014

29 Tallmadge & Watson Drawings Edward B Kittle House 636 Fair Oaks Avenue Basement, First and Second Floor Plans, Drawings courtesy of homeowner

30 Building elevations When these drawings were reduced from their original blueprints to these black line drawings, it was found that the roof slopes had not been drawn. The author drew them in red from observation and photographs JRL

31 The Main Stair detail is still in place and the Typical Wardrobe s are still installed and being used on the second floor.

32 Triple window removed and replaced with picture window Kitchen Remodeled Windows removed and cased opening installed. Flanking doors removed and openings filled in Room enclosed Windows and wall fill-in Service stair to 2nd flr removed Powder Room installed Windows removed and filled in to match adjacent Closet added Wall installed Windows added CHANGES TO THE ORIGINAL FIRST FLOOR PLAN

33 Enclosed with roof, windows and wall infill Door removed and opening filled in Converted to a master bath CHANGES TO ORIGINAL SECOND FLOOR PLAN

34 OWNER OBITS Death of Edward B Kittle, Oak Park Oak Leaves, December 21, 1929, p60. Kittle, New York Times, May 7, 1930 Sheriffs Oak Park Oak Leaves, April 14, 1949 p67. DEATH OF ISABELLA HENRY, Oak Park Oak Parker, December 3, 1926, p36. Miss May Henry Dies at 86, OPOL, February 14, 1957, p16.

35 Guy & McClintock Contractors Oak Leaves, June 27, 1946, p58 Oak Leaves, January 13, 1949, p 56 Oak Leaves, December 18, 1909,

36 Oak Leaves, May 05, 1919, p5 G & M had a side business. This ad ran almost every week in Oak Leaves, August 17, 1918, p4 Oak Leaves, July 26, 1919, p3 Oak Leaves, May 28, 1921, p35

37 Tallmadge & Watson T.E. TALLMADGE, ARCHITECT, DIES IN TRAIN WRECK, Chicago Daily Tribune, January 02, 1940 Tallmadge was the only person to die in the train wreck

38 Tallmadge & Watson Noted Architect, Church Designer, Dies Here at 72, Oak Park Oak Leaves, October 05, 1950, p.57 Vernon S. Watson s WWI Draft Registration Card

39 Vernon Spencer Projects 1 Vernon S. Watson House 643 Fair Oaks Avenue Oak Park, Illinois 1904 Otto H. Mc Feely House 645 Fair Oaks Avenue Oak Park, Illinois 1905 Charles H. Reeves House 454 Iowa Oak Park, Illinois 1905 With Laurence Buck Thomas Tallmadge Projects Tallmadge Street Light Evanston & Oak Park, Illinois 1917 This one is on the 600 block of Fair Oaks Ave, OP, Ill Louis Sullivan Headstone Graceland Cemetery Irving Park Rd & Clark St Chicago, Illinois Installed 1929

40 Tallmadge & Watson Projects Barrett Andrews House 623 N. East Ave Oak Park, Illinois 1906 Gustavus Babson House I 412 Iowa Street Oak Park, Illinois 1906 Lewis H. Lozier House 7218 Quick River Forest, Illinois 1906 Quinlan & Tyson 1112 Asbury Avenue Evanston, Illinois 1906 Elias V. Day House 601 Bonnie Brae River Forest, Illinois 1907 Adelaide S. Ames House 1239 Asbury Avenue Evanston, Illinois 1908

41 Ashley C. Smith House 630 North Euclid Avenue Oak Park, Illinois 1908 Dale Bumstead House 504 North East Avenue Oak Park, Illinois 1909 Torrie S. Estabrook House 200 North Scoville Avenue Oak Park, Illinois 1909 Charles M. Howe House 2222 Lincoln Street Evanston, Illinois 1909 John B. Piggott House 751 Franklin River Forest, Illinois 1909 Louis Tanner House 9640 South Longwood Drive Chicago, Illinois 1909

42 Knowlton L. Ames House 1041 Ridge Avenue Evanston, Illinois 1911 Harry H. Mallory House 1120 Asbury Avenue Evanston, Illinois 1912 Frederick B. Mathis House 411 North Scoville Avenue Oak Park, Illinois 1913 Henry D. Golbeck House 636 Linden Avenue Oak Park, Illinois 1914 James Wilkerson House 924 Bluff Road Glencoe, Illinois 1914 Joseph S. Guy House 407 North Scoville Avenue Oak Park, Illinois 1915 This is the Guy of the contractor firm of Guy & McClintock

43 Chapin Memorial Presbyterian Chapel 13 South 4 th Street Niles, Michigan 1915 Emma Fels House 100 Green Bay Road Glencoe, Illinois 1917 R. F. Locke House 838 Franklin River Forest, Illinois 1924 Paul Oliver House 737 Keystone River Forest, Illinois 1926 The above examples of Tallmadge and Watson commissions are not all inclusive, but are meant to show the diversity and the similarities in their works over the years. One repetitive element in many of the above is the double pier or pilaster that rises from grade to under the roof eave. Note: Source for photo and captions