| Address | 25 E. Erie Street, Chicago, IL |
|---|---|
| Built | 1886 |
| Architect | Cobb & Frost |
| Status | Designated Chicago Landmark |
| Designation Date | April 11, 2007 (Final) |
| Neighborhood | Near North Side |
| Type | House |
| Landmark ID | L-38 |
Direct quotes from the Chicago Landmark Designation Report
“Born in Athens, Ohio on September 23, 1834, he was the son of Hiram and Rachel (Henry) Cable who were among the earliest pioneers of the Northwest Territory.”
“Designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style by the eminent architectural partnership of Cobb and Frost, the house was built in 1885-86 for the family of the president of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company, Ransom R. Cable.”
“In later years he was chairman of the board of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway and president of the Rock Island and Peoria Railway. Ransom Cable was the father of four children, Hiram, Josephine, Fanny, and Benjamin.”
“During Ransom Cable's tenure, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway became one of the major rail lines operating out of Chicago into the Midwest. First envisioned in 1845 and organized as a going concern in 1847, the company ran its first train in 1852.”
“The Ransom Cable House and the Richardsonian Romanesque The Ransom Cable House is solidly handsome in the grand manner of urban Victorian architecture. Placed on a raised basement, the structure rises three stories terminating in a black slate hipped roof.”
“The design is in keeping with and complements the main building. A strong and stately composition, the Ransom Cable House exhibits most predominantly all the hallmarks of the Richardsonian Romanesque and is an early example of the use of this style for a residential structure.”
“After this partnership was dissolved in the late 1880s, Charles Frost, in a new joint venture with Alfred Hoyt Granger, went on to a successful specialization in railroad station design.”
“The range includes the Tudor Gothic of the quadrangle plan and first nineteen buildings at the University of Chicago, the Venetian Gothic of the Chicago Athletic Association Building, the Dutch Renaissance of the building at the corner of Dearborn and Kinzie streets which now houses Harry Caray's Restaurant, and the Richardsonian Romanesque of the Newberry Library and the Former Chicago Historical Society Building.”
“As a built environment, Chicago was the site of actual works of Richardson himself. Secondly, the city was the seat of the Western Association of Architects, founded in 1884, and its organ The Inland Architect was a major carrier of Richardson's ideas.”
What other designation reports say about this building
“Also notable is the landmark 1885-86 Ransom R. Cable House, still standing at 25 East Erie Street. Many of Cobb & Frost's designs are strong and distinguished examples of historically derived architectural styles.”
“Few large mansions survived this redevelopment intact, with the Nickerson House at 40 East Erie Street, the Cable House at 25 East Erie Street, and the Robert McCormick Double House at 660 North Rush Street being the most significant, both architecturally and historically, to have survived.”
“…streets in the so-called "Gold Coast.” The firm also designed commercial buildings and other large residences including the Cable House (1885; 25 E. Erie St.; a designated Chicago Landmark)-before the partnership was dissolved in 1888 and Cobb established an independent practice.”
“The firm also designed commercial buildings and other large residences including the Cable House (1885; 25 E. Erie St.; a designated Chicago Landmark) before the partnership was dissolved in 1888 and Cobb established an independent practice.”