Stephen Foster House and Stable

Landmark Context

Stephen Foster House and Stable comes into public view at 12147 S Harvard Av in the Chicago landmark record. Even in summary form, the record keeps together a construction date of 1900 and credits Frank Lloyd Wright. It was designated on May 9, 1996. Stephen Foster House and Stable gives researchers a way to connect domestic design, residential development, and block-by-block neighborhood change to one actual site.

Stephen Foster House and Stable 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. Together, those clues make it easier to understand how one domestic building can still clarify the growth of an entire residential block.

Research Starting Points

Stephen Foster House and Stable is easiest to push beyond designation through real-estate atlases and fire insurance maps, permit files and census or directory material, and historic photographs and neighborhood histories. Those records help separate what the landmark file says from what the longer building history actually shows.

Stephen Foster House and Stable is already usable now without pretending the historical work is finished.