{"nrhp_refnum":"84000945","name":"Building at 548-606 Michigan Avenue","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"548-606 Michigan Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Evanston","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":42.02865894400003,"lon":-87.67265988599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-03-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brownish-orange brick courtyard apartment building with an English basement at 548-606 Michigan Avenue in Evanston, Cook County, Illinois, built in 1924 to designs by W. Hilton Smith.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is unique for the complexity of its massing combined with highly original ornament. Its terra cotta ornament is Gothic in its verticality and exuberance but recast into geometric motifs suggestive of the Prairie School. It is described as one of Evanston's most visually interesting courtyard buildings.","narrative":"Built in 1924 on the west side of Michigan Avenue in Evanston, this brownish-orange brick apartment building rises three stories above an English basement and is arranged around a courtyard. W. Hilton Smith is named as architect or builder. A decorative wrought iron gate opens onto a private courtyard that widens toward the rear, with paths of colored stones leading to five secluded entrances. The plan is bilaterally symmetrical, yet the facades are broken by polygonal and rectangular bays with casement windows. Terra cotta ornament forms sills and suggestions of hoodmolds, and the geometry grows more complex in the parapet. The ornament is Gothic in its verticality and exuberance but reworked into geometric motifs recalling the Prairie School. Interiors include hardwood floors, tiled fireplaces and glass-paneled doors between many rooms. Its picturesque massing allows alcoves, good ventilation and varied views. The only recorded alteration is a 1980 asphalt shingle reroofing.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"W, Hilton Smith","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Reroofed with asphalt shingles in 1980; the form lists no other alterations.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.306867-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/69/8908/28890869/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/84000945.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000945/7f26870b6f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000945/7f26870b6f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Thshriver","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Building_at_548-606_2.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:Building_at_548-606_2.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28890869","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_at_548%E2%80%93606_Michigan_Avenue","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q96374087"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/building-at-548-606-michigan-avenue-84000945/"}