One-of-a-Kinds
One-of-a-kind houses can be defined as customized constructions that don’t necessarily fit any one style. They are outside the pure definition of the homes typically found in Gladstone Park. Often a mish-mash of styles, the one-of-a-kinds are the architectural curiosities of our community.
Some of the pictures found here show houses that were custom builds from the minute they rose on their lots. Many of these newer houses mixed features from many styles so they are like hybridized flowers: charming blends of a number of species that can’t, by themselves, be easily identified.
Other dwellings may have been altered to such a great degree that remodeling has erased their roots and just left them…unique. Clues to their origins can be had by looking at their approximate building dates. If their brick sides were were left intact, as was often the case, some of these can be further analyzed by examining the original structure of those windows and walls.
But some of the photographs here display houses that are just uncommon in Gladstone Park. Drive out to a 1950s/1960s suburban development and you’ll find split-level and bilevel homes in great numbers. But it’s an unusual construction in this northwest Chicago neighborhood. That’s because there were few vacant lots left when the split-level home craze was in swing in the 1950s and fewer still when bilevels became so popular in the 1970s. Dutch Colonials, bungalows, English Tudors, Georgians, Cape Cods, raised ranches, American Foursquares, and two-flats had already filled most of the community.
Likewise, ground level ranches or mid-century moderns on slabs (or with crawl space basements), so common elsewhere, are rare in Gladstone Park. So, too, are houses with integral (attached) garages even though they’re a dime a dozen in the suburbs. That’s the reason why photographs showing these are placed here.
Historical Note: You will notice the first photograph of the Brick and Frame Colonial has a registered date of 1869, predating the few remaining (English-style) Victorians and (German-style) Gothic Revivals in Gladstone Park by about 20 years, potentially making it the oldest dwelling in the neighborhood. If anyone has any background information on this house or any others that may be similar ages or older, please contact the author.
For more on how Gladstone Park’s standout stock of homes were built and serve to enhance residential life in the neighborhood, see Development and Vintage Home Living.
Click on a photo to enlarge and visit the gallery. Please be patient as they load in the size and quality necessary to view their architectural features in detail.
