Classic bungalows reinvented for 21st century owners (Sun-Times)

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Classic bungalows reinvented for 21st century owners
(http://searchchicago.suntimes.com/homes/1705812,updated_bungalows-cover09.article)

August 9, 2009

BY DANIEL P. SMITH - Special to the Sun-Times

Amid a string of seven bungalows lining a North Side street, Alicia Alvarez's brown-brick bungalow sports a vibrant golden hue -- simply one of many bungalows that pepper Chicago's neighborhoods north, south and west.

With its cozy kitchen, wooden trim, and iron radiators, the main floor of Alvarez's bungalow stands much as did upon the home's World War I-era construction. Walk up the enlarged staircase to the home's second floor, however, and the 21st century beckons. An extensive open floor plan, traveling from the home's front to its rear, encompasses a master suite, den and playroom.

"All I wanted was one additional room, but I decided that if I was going to do it, then I was going to maximize the available space," said Alvarez, who purchased her Lincoln Square bungalow in 1998.

Alvarez's home, at least upstairs, is not your grandmother's bungalow; it's new and fresh, modern and airy. Yet, while Alvarez infused her space with contemporary conveniences, such as skylights that summon natural light, she also honored the home's historic charm.

"I didn't want it to feel like a spaceship had landed on my 1920s house, so I used the same wood and trim that's downstairs," she said. "There was a sense of responsibility I felt toward honoring the original design even as I was altering the home's original shape."

It was Alvarez's stunning balance between modernization and preservation that earned her the 2007 Richard H. Driehaus Foundation award for Interior Rehabilitation from the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association (HCBA).

Like Alvarez, many Chicagoans are taking the city's much-beloved bungalows and injecting a shot of 21st century flair, creating a finished product that appreciates the home's storied craftsmanship yet meets the desires of today's world.

The Chicago spirit
Nearly a century since the bungalow's mass appearance on Chicago's scene, the city's love affair with its brick bungalows endures.

"The bungalow is housing with a great sense of permanence and beautiful detail," HCBA Executive Director Annette Conti said. "Though Chicago has its graystones and row houses, it's the bungalow that has come to exemplify the city and its blue-collar character."

Constituting nearly one-third of the city's housing stock and aimed at hosting Chicago's burgeoning middle class, most of the city's bungalows were constructed between 1910-1940. Today, much as they did upon construction, Chicago's bungalows hold its masses -- city workers, teachers, laborers, merchants, etc.

With brick construction, covered entrances and a roofline perpendicular to the street, the 1½ story homes were built to include decorative elements, such as stained-glass windows, wood moldings and trim, and stone planters. The bungalow introduced cathedral-style design into the city's middle-class lives, becoming the workingman's palace and his piece of the American Dream.

But the bungalow love affair is not the city's alone. In suburbs such as Berwyn, Arlington Heights, Oak Park and Park Ridge, the bungalow, once a teardown candidate for modern McMansions, has emerged a treasured home style. Increasingly, suburban residents tackle bungalow modernization and preservation efforts much the same as their city brethren, attracted to the home's proportions, sturdiness, and style.

"There's a strong, resurgent interest in the bungalow now because people want quality. The bungalow is a straightforward, functional home that works and people understand that all around the Chicago area," said Kirsten Kingsley of Arlington Heights-based Kingsley + Ginnodo Architects.

An eye on modernization, an eye on preservation
Though Phia Dedes purchased her Edgewater bungalow in 2004 well aware of roof and wall issues, she did not anticipate the five-year adventure that would ensue. Termites had been feasting on the home for years, forcing Dedes to reevaluate her plan and its potential.

"I just broke down. Everything not concrete or brick needed to be replaced," she said of the termite news.

Enlisting the expertise of her mother, a Virginia-based architect, Dedes proceeded to draft a new project. The exterior walls remained -- Dedes' home looking like many other Chicago bungalows from the street -- while the home's interior endured a modern facelift.

Per city code, Dedes widened the existing stairway to create a 750-square-foot master suite upstairs. She opened up the existing living room with a loft-like 15-foot ceiling and incorporated other modern elements, including dual heating and cooling zones as well as two-toned bamboo flooring, glass block, and exposed brick.

After years of using a ladder to get to bed and consolidating her belongings in the garage, Dedes completed the project in March 2009, ultimately pleased that she put her own individual stamp on Chicago's signature home.

"There's a real sense of ownership and affection for something that is of Chicago and built by Chicagoans," Dedes said of her bungalow.

Such affection for the Chicago bungalow is what pulled Eileen Mahoney and her husband, Marty, into their North Mayfair home.

"The bungalow is the blue-collar family's palace and a trademark of our city," Mahoney said. "We're glad to count ourselves among the lucky folks who live in and appreciate this style of home and its legacy in Chicago."

In May 2004, five years after purchasing the home, the couple began a 15-month renovation odyssey. Finding exposed wires, whiskey bottles, and newspaper accounts of the FDR administration's exploits inside the walls, the original plan for a second-story addition morphed into a more aggressive overhaul.

"Our goal became to bring an open, modern floor plan into the home's existing footprint," Mahoney said.

The couple eliminated two walls on the main level to bring an uninterrupted flow to the home's floor plan. They then added height to the home's upstairs by altering roofing angles, all in an effort to accommodate a master suite, two bedrooms, and a full bathroom. Later, they added energy-efficient components such as solar panels, before incorporating their finishing touches, namely mission-style elements to honor the home's original arts-and-crafts vibe.

"We appreciated the general craftsmanship of the home, even despite some of the odd findings, and we wanted to do our best to replicate that feeling for our family today," Mahoney said.

The bungalow in the 21st Century
As the brick bungalow nears its 100-year anniversary as a part of Chicago's civic landscape, it remains an undeniable, spectacular slice of city life past, present, and future.

"People crave authenticity and the bungalow's craft is a real part of that," architect Keith Ginnodo said. "The bungalow is the Everyman house and people have embraced it because it's easy to look at, comfortable, and practical to live in."

The HCBA, alongside other preservation groups, has done much to safeguard Chicago's bungalows, their physical presence as much as their spirit. Seminars and expos, including the upcoming Historic Chicago Bungalow and Green Home Expo at the Merchandise Mart in October, have done much to advance this mission while many bungalow homeowners have independently worked to achieve the proper balance of preservation and progress.

"We understand homeowners want to adapt their homes for their needs, to express their own individuality, and to take the bungalow to the next level," Conti said. "We simply hope bungalow homeowners do that with an eye on preserving as much as possible and in keeping consistent with the original construction."

Seeking to balance modern home design with century-old craftsmanship, a new generation of bungalow owners is finding their way -- through the past and into the future.

Former bungalow inhabitant Daniel P. Smith is a Chicago-based freelance writer. He can be reached at SmithWriting@gmail.com.