| Address | 3558 S. Artesian Avenue, Chicago, IL |
|---|---|
| Built | 1876 |
| Architect | Oscar Cobb & Co. |
| Status | Designated Chicago Landmark |
| Designation Date | April 16, 1996 (Final)City Council Journal of the Proceedings |
| Neighborhood | Mckinley Park |
| Type | House |
| Landmark ID | L-85 |
Interior spaces protected by this designation
- staff recommends that the significant features be identified as all portions of the interior and exterior of the structure.
Direct quotes from the Chicago Landmark Designation Report
“The DuPont-Whitehouse House is historically significant due to its relationship to the pioneering explosives firm of E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company, and its association with the once-extensive explosives industry which was located in the Brighton Park area of Chicago.”
“Dramatically sited at the center of a landscaped one-acre site bordered by a wood picket fence, the imposing red brick house erected by DuPont and Whitehouse represented one of the largest and costliest private residential improvements to be erected along the newly completed boulevard, as well as in the town of Brighton Park itself.”
“This idea was first suggested to Whitehouse by pioneer Brighton Park settler and businessman John McCaffery who participated in the original development of the town and its industries.”
“I am certain you would be pleased with the whole improvement if you could see it. It is a beautiful residence. By the end of June, Junot Whitehouse and his wife May had moved into the completed house.”
“Like many German immigrants of the period, Charles Klank moved to the Brighton Park area in the late 1890s and occupied a frame house at 3414 South Western Avenue, two blocks north of the DuPont-Whitehouse House.”
“At the time Emil Klank and his wife lived in the house, the industrial usage of adjoining properties continued to increase, a reversal from Junot Whitehouse and John McCaffery's vision in the 1870s of Western Avenue being transformed into a fashionable residential boulevard.”
“In 1871, the management of the office was taken over by Junot J. Whitehouse, a native of New York State, whose previous business career had included several ventures in the wholesale clothing business and a brief period as an agent for the New York Life Insurance Company.”
“The firm of Cobb and Beers was dissolved by 1878, both partners forming practices of their own. Minard L. Beer's subsequent career included partnership in the prosperous Chicago architectural firm of Beers, Clay & Dutton between 1888 and 1895, a firm best known for the design of private residences.”
“Cobb permanently settled in Chicago in 1867, continuing his architectural career in the employment of various architectural offices. Following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Cobb reputedly designed the seven-story Major Block at the southeast corner of LaSalle and Madison streets under the auspices of the architectural office of Dixon & Hamilton.”