#zero lot-line

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62 e 80th St - NYC1908

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Martin apartments - Chicago_ 1920s

                       3 Flat in one of the classic designs that were planned to work in a zero lot-line configuration. Notice the inclusion of a servants room with its own bath even though the unit is of moderate size and layout

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Architectural Contest Images - 1890's

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1352 n LaSalle St - Chicago_1897

The Jelke Residence on Chicago's Near North Side. 

The b & w image on the left is from the period publication 

"Inland Architect";  

the other is a screen cap from our friends at Google. I will be posting a better shot later. Very nice lines and classic looks make this a winner. This basic concept has often be repeated but always looks good. 

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5215 s Drexel Ave - Chicago_2009

A Classically styled six (6) unit building with enclosed  sun-porches.

Built during the mid 1920's in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The property has been converted to Condos with the lower level and first floor having a duplex configuration. 

For a brief history about this type and how it came about see Post   " 

3 Flat History - 00

 "

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1808 s Prairie Ave - Chicago_1888 & 1946

The O R Keith Residence located in Chicago, IL. Designed by Cobb and Frost. Built in 1886 - 1887 The Keith house once stood on Prairie Avenue immediately South of the Glesseer house. Set on a lot of thirty-eight by eighty feet, the sides of the Keith house abutted those at its neighbors. Constructed at the then high cast at S40,000, this elegant and well-planned house was the home of Stanley Field; nephew of Marshall Field, from 1901 to 1913. It is also said that Architect Louis Sullivan rented a room from 1919 to 1921 from subsequent owner the American Terra Cotta Co. Compare the top photo taken in Feb 1888 with the one below taken in 1946

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3 Flat History - 00

APARTMENT BUILDING TYPE:   3 - Flat This was a distinct apartment building type that began developing before World War I and lasted until just before the start of WW II; covering roughly the years 1910 to 1940. These three-story walkup structures had one apartment on each floor. Individual unit layouts typically consisted of: 1 - 4 bedrooms (sometimes a maids room), 1 - 3 bathrooms, a well defined foyer, formal living rooms often with craftsman styled bookcases and gas fireplaces, formal dining rooms often with built-ins, kitchens sized for eating with pantry space, a open or enclosed sunporch,  open rear porches for exit and service purposes, interior stairwells for service and exit purposes, . The position of the building on the site could vary based upon neighborhood factors, setback needs and developer whims. One could therefore find the design used as a free standing building with good yard space in one instance or zero-lot line condition reminiscent of the "tenement cram" with little or no yard space in the other instance.They were blocky in design form with flat roofs and moderate parapets. A major design element was the use of string brick courses to emphasize their horizontal dimensions. Most Exterior ornamentation details tended to be classical; but watered down revivalist styles were used.  There were also occasions when the Art Deco or Modernist style was chosen for the exterior. The buildings were generally constructed of brick in light yellow, tan, dark brown or reddish hues.Larger structures using the basic 3 - flat design concept were often built in multiples to form 6 - 9 - 12 flats. A example of the 6 Flat configuration is the 5215 s Drexel building in Chicago's Hyde Park community.The same basic design was also used effectively in the construction of numerous courtyard & corner buildings that were developed during the same time period.

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Brooklyn Life Insurance - 1886

Design for a mixed use building in NYC. Someone once said you can't have it all but these designers got most of it working pretty good.