Roger Brown Home and Studio

“The mosaic depicts Hull House, Cook County Hospital and the Brown Health Center as well as Jane Addams and Dr. Howard Brown, MD, who established the National Gay Task Force (now the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) and practiced in clinical and public health settings in New York City.”

“Based on information in the Roger Brown Study Collection, the National Register nomination for the building states that this sign “was appealing to Brown because of his interest in advertising graphics and vernacular art.”

“When Brown and architect Veronda bought the property, Veronda redesigned the first floor into a large open space to serve as Brown's studio. The three small apartments on the second floor were converted into a single residence.”

“Brown and his partner, architect George Veronda, renovated the building, converting the small storefront on the first floor into Brown's studio where he created most of his prolific body of artwork.”

“It was built in 1888 according to the designs of German immigrant named Frederick Siebold. The building is in Lincoln Park on Halsted Street, a north-south arterial street with a mix of commercial and residential uses.”

“A third important interest that Brown picked up while at SAIC was the work of self-taught artists, particularly that of fellow Chicagoan Joseph Yoakum, an African American artist who drew elaborate landscapes of exotic locations around the world.”

“One of Brown's last works of art, completed in 1997, is a mosaic mural titled Hull House, Cook County, Howard Brown: A Tradition of Helping. It is dedicated to and displayed at the Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago, an institution that offers health care and treatment to LBGTQ+ community.”

“At time of this writing, SAIC has listed the Roger Brown home and studio for sale. In 2011, the Roger Brown Home and Studio was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.”

“Roger Brown is one of Chicago's best-known twentieth century artists, and a founding member of the Chicago school of American art known as Imagism that emerged in 1966 and flourished through the 1990s.”

“The Roger Brown Home and Studio possesses excellent physical integrity. Brown and his partner preserved the exterior of this 1888 store-and-flat building. The building originally had a projecting pressed metal cornice.”

“The 25-foot-wide front façade is built to the sidewalk. The building is 85 feet deep, with a small rear yard and frame garage at the alley. The front elevation is red-face brick trimmed with limestone; Chicago common brick is used at the secondary side and rear elevations.”