Worker’s Cottages Of Oldtown Triangle Walking Tour
Jean Baptiste Point duSable
Bust of Jean Baptiste Point duSable, Chicago’s first non-indigenous settler (late 1700s) and credited with having founded Chicago.
Jean Baptiste Point duSable’s homestead – located right where the Apple Store is in Pioneer Court!
Harold Hansen Mansion
- Built in 1886
- Architect: Harold Hansen
- Norwegian-born architect
- Trained in Heidelberg
- Head Architecture Dept at U Of IL
- Styles: Queen Anne, Second Empire, Eastlake (Synonymous with Stick, Gingerbread)
- Originally 12 units – only 5 remain
- Built on land previously owned by the Chicago City Railway Company
- Car barn and a blacksmith shop
- Before that it was farmland and swamp
- Only changed hands 3-4 times
- Original doorways
- Original stained glass
- Original Stueben Glass lighting
- Original fireplace designs with handmade & handfired terra cotta tiles
Eugene Field
- Writer Eugene Field rented from Harold Hansen
- Originally from St. Louis
- Most known for “Lovers Lane” poem
- In Chicago he wrote a gossipy column called Sharps & Flats
- Fun Fact: His father was the attorney that represented Dred and Harriot Scott, the first slaves to sue for their freedom.
- That case went all the way to the Supreme Court and they were denied
- The aftermath basically started the Civil War
- Elementary School in Rogers Park named after Eugene Field
History Of Workers Cottages
- This is what Chicago looked like from the mid 1850s – 1900.
- Birth of Telegraph and Railroads
- Meatpacking, Grain, Pullman Co.
- All created work opportunities
- People FLOCKED to the city for work
- They all needed places to live
- Small A-frame cottages were built
- Easy and inexpensive to build
- Being torn down at an alarming rate
History Of N. Crilly Court
Napoleon Bonaparte
- Napoleon Bonaparte (1st)
- His Wife, The French Empress, Eugenie
- Their only child
A Chicago Farmstead in 1832
- in 1837 Chicago city limit was North Ave and Lincoln Park and Oldtown were swamp and farmland.
- A French farmer, Charles Canda, was on record in 1837
- His farmstead was located here
- His brother was Florimond Canda
- Florimind was a General in the Battle of Waterloo
- Received awards from Napoleon and Eugenie
- When Charles died he left his property to Florimond and Adelle (his widow)
- Florimond eventually sold to developer Daniel Crilly in the late 1800s during the housing boom
Crilly Court Resident: Haddon (Sunny) Sunbloom – Graphic Artist
Crilly Court Resident: Rand McNally – Children’s Book / Maps & Atlases
Crilly Court Resident: George Spoor – Early Movie Producer and Partner Of Essanay Studios
In 1894 Spoor built and exhibited “The Magniscope”, the first 35 mm movie projector ever designed and used in a large audience display.
Spoor and Anderson formed Essanay Studios (combination of their last name initials).
They produced 1 & 2 reeler, black and white silent films and discovered many stars like Gloria Swanson and Charlie Chaplin.
Manuscript rejection note! Hilarious!
Crilly Court Resident: Henry Gerber – Earliest known gay activist in the US
Between 1924-1925, Gerber founded the Society Of Human Rights and wrote the underground gay newsletter called Friendship & Freedom.
1710 N. Crilly Court is a National Landmark and 1 of only 3 National Landmarks with ties to the LGBTQ community.
The other two are New York City’s Stonewall Inn and the home of James Merrill.
- Social Media Creator Services
- Professional Interior Design Services
- Walking Tours and Private Tours
- Architectural Photography Prints & Greeting Card Collections
- Route 66 Content Coming Soon
- Doorways Of Chicago Coffee Table Book Launching in 2026 – Trope Publishing
- I’m taking my tours abroad! My curated trip to Peru launches in 2026. Architecture, Ancestry & Ancient Doorways: Peru with Ronnie
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