Back Room

This room was built using SOLID concrete walls (ughh!). Therefore we had to be a little creative when it comes to insulation. We used a ceramic additive to the paint. The ceramic particles are supposed to dissolve into the paint and create a heat reflecting membrane within the paint.

The windows came out great, notice how we made sure to use casement windows as these were prefered by the architect. We also tried to match the style of the window using the existing original windows as our template.
We installed an Armstrong cherry laminate ceiling and pine cased windows stained cherry. We tried at least 12 different shades of premixed cherry from different stain manufacturers to get the windows to match the color of the manufactured ceiling. Even after conditioning the soft wood we still ended up with a blotchy finish that did not match. A trip to Super Menards in Oak Forest solved our problems. They sold cherry stain in a spray can which went on like a dream come true! We bought every can of spray stain they had as each window took 1 1/2 cans to complete. After 3 trips of buying out stock of cherry stain we completed staining of the windows.

Neighborhood History

This info was published in 1973 Prairie style review, by Paul Sprague

Russell Blount became interested in prairie architecture while a house (Gunn House demolished) was being built down the street from where his girlfriend (Helen Wells) lived. When Blount asked his girlfriend to marry him, Helen's dad, Thomas E Wells, was also subdividing the family farm to interested developers in the area.

Russell's dad offered him some land to build a home for him and his daughter. Blount decided to commision Walter Burley Griffin as the architect for a small cottage for him and his bride to be. The house turned out so nice that the plumber who was working on the house made an offer to buy the house that Blount could not refuse. Apparantly part of the deal was that Garrity (the plumber) would also be holder of the plan as this house does not ever appear again. Which is unlike Blount to not reuse plans.

Needless to say, Helen, Blount's Girl was a little ticked off that the house that was being built for her was sold to the plumber. So Blount went back to Griffin, only this time he ordered to plans and had an idea to build one for himself and sell the other.

So Blount lived in the 2 story home and sold the 1 1/2 story cottage. He was receiving all types of praise for the 2 new styles of housing he was having built. Blount and Griffin would now work together on a plan to build an entire city block of these "Blount cottages" on his father-in-law's farm. Now the year is 1911 and Griffin is becoming more and more famous, in fact his work won a contest in Australia to build the entire capital city.
Blount also went back to Griffin for another plan, a new home for him and his family as he was making quite a bit of money selling these homes. Things were changing about this time, Thomas Wells, Blount's father in law was murdered on his front porch, Griffin didn't care about this pet project anymore as he was moving to Australia, and the U.S. was getting started to go to war.


Blount continued to build houses but without Griffin's supervision. the houses no longer featured oak millwork, or covered soffits, or custom windows. Blount would build 7 more houses on the Wells Estate before finally giving up, as his ambition for the project dwindeled. This house was based on the 1 1/2 story plan, just turned on the lot. Blount always wanted each house on this block to look a little different than the other so even though they all share 1 of 2 similar plans they all have some individual characteristic. After Blount built The Hornbacher house in 1914 (also based on th 1 1/2 story design) World War I was in full gear and as soon as the war ended everyone wanted houses like those they saw in Europe, thus ending the era of the prairie school and dooming the Hornbacher house to a bunch of wierd improvements.

House History

Went down to Prairie Ave Books on Wabash the other day and found a great piece written by Paul Sprague about the history of the Neighborhood. This house is known as a low cost "Cottage for Blount" it was designed as a 1 bedroom home with an unfinished upstairs that would be completed as you got the money. The developer (blount) lived not to far away in his own Griffin home and rented this property for 4 years before selling it to William Hornbacher. William had little to no interest in keeping this house original so in while the White Sox were throwing the world series in 1919 William was adding his own personal touches to the house.

• Built a family room on the back of the house (above)
• Added a dormer over the porch for a 3rd bedroom
• Finished the upstairs
• Enclosed the front porch
• Removed the "Griffin signature" fireplace
• Changed the original 1st bedroom on the main floor into a den
• Added a second dormer upstairs for a second bathroom

All of these changes were well intentioned and done with great quality. He just did not know what he was doing gave the house a lopsided appearance and lessened the praire style character of the house. Or perhaps he did know and was trying to lessen the style as times had changed and having a prairie style house in 1919 was like listening to all your favorite songs on 8-tracks.

Little to nothing was done to the house again until 1959 (the last time the Sox were in the world series) During this time the owner (hornbacher?) Did a little bit more to the house.

• Added wall outlets and 100 amp service
• Built a screen porch on the front of the house
• Expanded the garage
• Updated the kitchen with maple cabinets, plastic and metal tiles
• Updated the bathroom with plastic and metal tiles and added a peach colored toilet

The house would change hands in 1962, and then again in 2004 when I bought it. And according to schedule, the White Sox are well under way for world series appearances during the 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 repair and remodeling season.