{"nrhp_refnum":"04000075","name":"Schorsch Irving Park Gardens Historic District","other_names":["Portage Park Historic District"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Grace St., Patterson Ave., N. Austin Ave., and N. Melvena Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.95007314750006,"lon":-87.77918205113855,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-02-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential historic district of brick Chicago bungalows on Chicago's northwest side, roughly bounded by Grace Street, Patterson Avenue, North Austin Avenue and North Melvina Avenue. It was built mostly between 1917 and 1926 by contractor Albert J. Schorsch.","why_significant":"The district is significant under Criterion A for its association with the promotion of single-family homeownership in Chicago, as an alternative to the growing density of apartments and tenements. It is significant under Criterion C as a cohesive collection of Chicago bungalows built in two main campaigns, 1917-1918 and 1922-1926. Its uniform siting and materials, combined with variation in rooflines, massing and ornament, show the bungalow type at neighborhood scale.","narrative":"Eight blocks of the northwest side of Chicago, about nine miles from the commercial center, make up a neighborhood of brick bungalows built mainly by one contractor, Albert J. Schorsch. After O.A. Thorp Elementary School opened in 1916, he developed nearly all of the area between 1917 and 1926, in two building campaigns. The district holds 252 bungalows, a two-flat, a store-and-residence building and the school. Houses sit on uniform lots with similar setbacks, low-pitched roofs, overhanging eaves and ribbon windows, while limestone trim, varied brickwork, roof shapes and porch arrangements give each home some individuality. Architects named for the houses include Ernest N. Braucher and Axel V. Teisen. The area is significant for its link to the promotion of single-family homeownership in Chicago, and as a well-preserved example of the Chicago bungalow. Only six buildings have been altered enough to lose contributing status, and the neighborhood remains entirely residential.","period_of_significance":"1917-1930","architect_builder":"Braucher, Ernest N., architect; Schorsch, Albert J., developer","architectural_style":"Other: Chicago Bungalow","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still entirely residential; most bungalows retain their early twentieth-century appearance, and only six have been altered enough to be non-contributing.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.177825-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/72/8909/28890972/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/04000075.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000075/54f2104361-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000075/54f2104361-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Thshriver","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schorsch_Irving_Park_Gardens_Historic_District_1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Thshriver</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schorsch_Irving_Park_Gardens_Historic_District_1.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28890972","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schorsch_Irving_Park_Gardens_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q85799957"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/schorsch-irving-park-gardens-historic-district-04000075/"}