Lakewood Balmoral Historic District

Lakewood Balmoral is a twelve-block residential neighborhood on Chicago's northern edge, near Lake Michigan. It began as Cochran's Third Addition to Edgewater, a suburb laid out by developer John Lewis Cochran, who borrowed street names such as Bryn Mawr and Berwyn from Philadelphia's Main Line. Nearly all of its 490 contributing buildings went up between 1893 and 1915. They include detached single-family houses, duplex town homes and two-flats in Queen Anne, Shingle, Colonial Revival, Craftsman and Prairie-influenced designs. Lots of 30 to 50 feet, even setbacks, tree-lined streets and original brick alleys give the area a cohesive suburban feel. Cochran aimed the addition at middle-class buyers and backed streetcar and elevated rail links to make commuting practical. The neighborhood escaped the apartment-tower redevelopment that changed the rest of Edgewater, so it remains the clearest surviving example of his planning. Its housing is generally in good to excellent condition, despite common changes such as new siding and enclosed porches.