Devon Avenue makes the 2008 Preservation Chicago "Chicago Seven" list

Kudos to Preservation Chicago for including our historic 1920 -30s Devon commercial district buildings on their 2008 "Chicago Seven" list. Click here for the full story.

Chicago Zoning and 'The French Embassy"

The real zoning code in Chicago is unwritten, but developers know it well: Changes in zoning go hand in hand with contributions to aldermanic campaigns.

Click here for an excellent piece from the Chicago Tribune on how abuse of zoning changes threaten our historic neighborhoods.

The history of St. James Church

After a canvass made during the winter of 1925 and the spring of 1926 by members of the Evangelical Synod of North America (a denomination made up primarily of German immigrants) it was determined that the Western and Devon area was home to a large number of persons with a heritage in the Evangelical denomination who did not have a convenient church home.

In 1926, that denomination's Home Mission Board purchased a lot at the corner of Rockwell and Albion and contracted with the Rev. Alfred F. Schemmer as an organizing minister, a service was held in the display room of the Ford Sales Company at the south-west corner of Arthur and Western on Sunday September 26, 1926 at 2:30 in the afternoon. About 125 persons attended from the city's other Evangelical Churches. At the service, an offering of $40.00 was collected and given to the Rev. Schemmer to rent a space for a temporary place of worship.

The following week Schemmer rented a store at 2644 Pratt Avenue and on Sunday October 3, 1926, the first worship service of what would become St. James was held with 8 or 10 adults present and 13 children in the Sunday school. More...

Finding the best CFL bulbs

I hate the light from CFL bulbs, and taking an informal poll at our WRBN holiday party last week tells me I'm not alone. The free one I got from the City casts an ugly green-grey pallor in our office. The ones I bought from Home Depot do the same for the basement, but who really cares what old paint cans and litter boxes look like.

A recent New York Times article gives me hope that one day I will be able to happily replace the rest of the bulbs in our home with something that I like. Click here for the full story.

Who is Richard Driehaus and why does he love Chicago bungalows?

For the answer to this question and more, click here. (See the 7/27/07 post regarding our own West Ridge Driehaus award winners.)

Chicago's Green Bungalows

Click here to read the the story from the National Trust online magazine that accompanies this lovely photo of Ann & Frank Glapa's front porch! A

little reminder of warmer days...