Early Homes of Gordon Terrace By Daniel Layman

The Circa-1896 photograph below shows the six earliest homes built on the South Side of Gordon Terrace, between Clarendon and the Lake Michigan shore.

From top to bottom the homes were addressed: 751 W. Gordon Terrace; 741 W. Gordon Terrace; 733 W. Gordon Terrace; 715-717 W. Gordon; 711 W. Gordon Terrace; 701 W. Gordon Terrace.

The only home still standing is 741 W. Gordon Terrace, pictured second-from-the-right in photo below.

Barely visible in the background of the photo is Lake Michigan; at the bottom left of the foreground, the curb marks the northeast corner of Clarendon Avenue and Gordon Terrace.[1]

Another early-ish home that is still standing here is 737 W. Gordon Terrace (below), which was the home of Chicago Mayor (1905-1907) and Illinois Governor (1913-1917) Edward F. Dunne. (Photo from Google Maps). This home at 737 W. Gordon is not in the 1896 photo as it was not built until 1908 (architects Mundie & Nelson). The Dunne family was extensively inter-wed with several early Buena Park families (the Pyott family of 800 W. Hutchinson), the Philip Corboy family of Junior Terrace, etc.

Third photo (below from Google Maps) is 741 W. Gordon Terrace, somewhat altered over the years from the 1896 photo (its front porch was bombed and then reconstructed in the early 1930s when Chicago School Superintendent Bogan lived here (that’s a whole other chapter about labor unrest, the Depression, etc.)

Fourth photo below is a close-up of homes that were at lakefront / eastern end on the south side of Gordon Terrace (701, 711, 715-717 W. Gordon Terrace).

Fifth Photo below is 712 W. Gordon Terrace on the north side of the block – with view of how close Lake Michigan was in this circa 1896 photo.[2]

[1] Photo: The Chicago History Museum, Streets Folders, Gordon Terrace, Chicago, Illinois; Gordon Terrace, 1896; G1985:360; ICHI number 18840.

[2] Photo: The Chicago History Museum, Streets Folders, Gordon Terrace, Chicago, Illinois; Gordon Terrace, 1896, (4140 N); G1985:360; ICHI number 18841.

bikeuptown46

I am currently the Communications Director for the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters which represents 33,000 union men and women in three states who swing a hammer for a living. I publsih a magazine, a couple of email newsletters and two websites. I also do videos, webinars, advertisng and public relations. As an avid cyclist I ride a three-wheeled trike 5 to 6 days per week 52 weeks per year which adds up to between 5,000 and 6,000 miles year-round, including daily commutes along Chicago's lakefront ... polar vortexes included. I have never missed a day of work because of Chicago's weather. I am an activist who serves humanitarian and political causes: To advocate for the Sudanese in Illinois who have fled Southern Sudan and Darfur is one of my most rewarding experiences. I work with my son Sean on Sudan presentations at churches and community groups with my Sudanese friends on the problems facing them in Darfur, South Sudan and the United States. My son Sean and I work together on the Abolition Institute which seeks to end slavery in the west African nation of Mauritania. My photography chronicles Chicago's lakefront through my daily rides. My photo website is http://genetenner.com/ I just self-published my first photo-book on the history of my Chicago neighborhood: Sweet Home Buena Park. I live about one-half mile north of Wrigley Field in the Buena Park neighborhood.

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