Public Research

John and Clara Merchant House

built 1872 and with current city data crediting [Geo. E] Woodward's Nat'l Architect, Design #2, Designated as a Chicago landmark on October 8, 2008. it becomes easier to follow domestic design, residential development, and later change at John and Clara Merchant House.

John and Clara Merchant House 3854 N Kostner Av, Chicago, Illinois Precision: Exact

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Quick Take

  • Official status: Chicago individual landmark.
  • Address: 3854 N Kostner Av.
  • Built: 1872.
  • Architect: [Geo. E] Woodward's Nat'l Architect, Design #2.

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Why It Matters

John and Clara Merchant House keeps domestic design, residential development, and block-by-block neighborhood change grounded in one address and one building.

From there, the building can be read through design, use, later change, and neighborhood context instead of remaining a detached image or isolated fact.

Field Network

Need current site photography or a local update for John and Clara Merchant House?

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Research Narrative

Landmark Context

John and Clara Merchant House comes into public view at 3854 N Kostner Av in the Chicago landmark record. City records connect the site to a construction date of 1872 and credits [Geo. E] Woodward's Nat'l Architect, Design #2. It was designated on October 8, 2008. John and Clara Merchant House turns into a workable research subject once domestic design, residential development, and block-by-block neighborhood change are kept in view together.

John and Clara Merchant House is best read on the ground through lot width, setbacks, porches, bays, and rooflines, the rhythm between neighboring houses, and alterations that show changing domestic use. Read carefully, those details begin to explain how one domestic building can still clarify the growth of an entire residential block.

Research Starting Points

John and Clara Merchant House can be carried further through real-estate atlases and fire insurance maps, permit files and census or directory material, and historic photographs and neighborhood histories. Those materials are usually what turn site observation into a more convincing historical record.

John and Clara Merchant House still needs permits, photographs, and comparison, but the landmark record gives that work a stable point of return.

Public Actions

Campaign / Petition Record

Ordered oldest to newest.

1872

Development

Construction period recorded in city landmark data

Chicago's public landmark data records John and Clara Merchant House as built in 1872.

October 8, 2008

Designation

Chicago individual landmark designation

City of Chicago designated John and Clara Merchant House as an individual landmark on October 8, 2008.

February 2026

Inventory

City landmark address list and data portal record

John and Clara Merchant House remains listed in Chicago's public individual-landmark address list and open-data record.

Sources

Source Trail

Chicago Landmark Name List 2025.6

institution

Use for official landmark status and naming.

City of Chicago Open Data: Individual Landmarks

dataset

Use for address, built date, architect, and point geometry in the city data portal.

Chicago Landmark Address List February 2026

institution

Use for address normalization and cross-checking the city's public landmark list.

Place Snapshot

Place
John and Clara Merchant House
Location
3854 N Kostner Av, Chicago, Illinois
Coverage
Exact

Key Facts

Region
Chicago, Illinois / Midwest
Place type
Residential Complex
Current status
Preserved
Address
3854 N Kostner Av
Built
1872
Architect
[Geo. E] Woodward's Nat'l Architect, Design #2
Designated
October 8, 2008

Design / Planning Timeline

[Geo. E] Woodward's Nat'l Architect, Design #2
1872

Milestone

Use as a starting point for confirming authorship against permits, drawings, and later landmark reports.

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