Burling Row House District

“Other residential commissions came from such prominent entrepreneurs as lumber baron Eli Bates and banker Charles T. Yerkes. During the late-1850s and through the 1860s, Burling designed many of the city's most prominent buildings, including the First National Bank, the Board of Trade, the Chamber of Commerce, Post Office, and the Tribune Building.”

“Row houses begin to give areas of Chicago a more urban character, such as more established Eastern cities like Baltimore, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. Chicago's earliest row houses, such as those on Burling, featured flat fronts built of common brick, rather than face brick, which was more uniform in color, texture, and shape.”

“(2231); carriage merchant Samuel A. Whitfield (2233); real estate broker Franklin Hatheway (2241); and salesman William H. Brown (2243). The Burling Row House District represents one of the earliest surviving groups of brick row houses built in Chicago following an 1874 city ordinance that required "fireproof" masonry construction in most of the city's neighborhoods.”

“The Burling row houses are distinguished for their high quality of details and materials, which exemplify late-19th century craftsmanship. The building row's carved stone elements include decorative keystones on the basement windows and highly ornate incised hoods above the tall, narrow windows on the upper floors.”

“The Burling row houses were designed by Edward J. Burling, one of Chicago's earliest architects. Edward J. Burling (1819-1892) began his career at the age of 16 as an apprentice to a carpenter in his hometown of Newburgh, New York.”

“These row houses possess excellent detailing and craftsmanship with their incised stone window hoods and rare, continuous wood cornice. The Burling Row House District also is a rare surviving work of Edward J. Burling, one of Chicago's earliest architects.”

“The Burling Row House District is a fine example of the high-quality residential row houses constructed in Chicago's neighborhoods as the city rebuilt and expanded following the Fire of 1871.”

“James Episcopal Church (675 N. Wabash). The row of buildings in the 2200-block of Burling Street is a rare surviving example of the residential designs of Edward Burling.”

“The only other known example of Burling's residential work-which is the type of commission that brought him his early prominence as an architect-are three groups of row houses in the 2100-block of Fremont Street, just three blocks west of the Burling Row Houses.”

“It is an excellent example of the high-quality building construction in Chicago during the decade following the Fire of 1871. Built just after the passage of an 1874 city ordinance requiring brick construction throughout Chicago, the Burling Row House District is among the city's finest remaining groups of Italianate-style row houses.”