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These were poorer working-class hoods even back then. So few had money to raise homes. Guess many here predate the Great Fire of 1871 and were south of its path. Before the fire .... the city including downtown, began to raise the city streets and fill in around homes and poorer folk did not raise them. Story below...
Video posted in below link, has a short 3-min video of just generally what occurred and why. Basically all downtown northward burned so originally raised downtown buildings do not exist. The remnants of the Fire gave plenty of debris to create basically what are the downtown Parks where Grant/Millennium Parks are and I believe Lincoln Park to the north of downtown, including a good portion of downtown Chicago.
From link.
- Some homes sit below street level in Chicago because nearby roads were actually raised in the late 1850s
- In the early days after its founding, much of Chicago was basically at the same level as Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. So when it rained, water had nowhere to go and would flow down the city’s muddy streets.
- Stagnant water was a hotbed for disease, and the issue was made worse by wastewater flowing out into Lake Michigan -- and back towards into city.
- After many died from cholera and typhoid outbreaks the City made a bold decision in 1855: raise the roads four to 14 feet to make room for sewers.
- So sewer pipes and drains were laid across the city, allowing for wastewater to flow away instead of flooding the streets. And after the pipes were covered with dirt, new roads were built on top of them. The process took 20 years to complete.
Another story is how the Chicago River was reversed from going into Lake Michigan and flows to the Mississippi river... this to prevent the then highly polluted river from polluting the lake and city's drinking water supply. Lake Michigan is higher than the river as a result and locks going in and out of the river must be used to raise boats to meet the level of which side they want to go.
Also a rebuilding of Chicago's Lakefront originally lost. Basically, all is manmade today. Parks, harbors, lagoons and beaches. All the Lakefront parks downtown also ... Lake Michigan originally came to what is Michigan Ave. Most visitors know it as the main drag of downtown and N Michigan Av shopping. So half of downtown with skyscrapers not in the Loop and east of that street is on fill. Some before the fire and after from debris. Where the Parks are is fill. Where Soldier Field is and Museum Campus is on fill.
Parts of Boston is fill also. Parts of Lower Manhattan etc.
Thanks for your very complete explanation, NoHyping ! Knew about the Sanitary Canal, but hadn't connected it with raising houses.
I love the homes in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood. You can view some of the houses by clicking the individual neighborhoods here: https://www.buckhead.com/neighborhoods/
I was never a fan of how some parts of the DC area are very homogeneously red-brick houses. Nothing wrong with them individually but it's so repetitive.
I’m a big fan of a traditional Territorial Style New Mexican house, very unique combination of the more organic Pueblo style building forms with mid-18th century Colonial roof structures and detailing.
You can spot an architect's dream home in Anywhere USA. These "dream homes" stick out like a sore thumb in the traditional neighborhoods where they are built. They could easily be mistaken for a dental office or a medical clinic. Somehow, they think their sterile shoe box house designs are unique and edgy. But to my eye, they are just variations on the same old angular glass and shoe box theme.
My favorite style of house has dormers, cedar shakes and brick....maybe built in the 30's 0r 40's.
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! Knew about the Sanitary Canal, but hadn't connected it with raising houses.
Architect's "Dream" Home or Eyesore?
