West Ridge Housing Stock: Apartment Buildings

West Ridge, a neighborhood on Chicago's far north side, has a wonderful supply of gorgeous housing stock, and not all of it is bungalows.
Like their single family cousins, many of these attractive structures, designed to house more than one family, were built in the 1920's, and their solid contours project strength and stability. Many are enhanced with beautiful brickwork, tiled roofs, generous bays, and intricate turrets.

A great many of these buildings have been gutted, rehabbed and converted to condos at prices ranging to upward of $400K. Unfortunately, in many cases the developers are more concerned with the bottom line than aesthetics, and though many of the rehabbed units are quite appealing, few preserve the original flavor of these buildings. In answer to consumer demand for fresh and new over vintage and musty, many an oak floor has been scrapped in favor of Brazilian cherry, or another flavor du jour. But this is nostalgia in me speaking. Perhaps listening to old floar creaking all day, or losing a family heirloom in one of its cracks would make me opt for a new floor as well.