North Mayfair Bungalow Historic District

North Mayfair is a quiet residential neighborhood on Chicago's northwest side, about nine miles from the city center, made up largely of red brick bungalows with limestone trim. Most of its buildings went up between 1913 and 1930, with construction peaking in 1923. Of the 782 resources dating from that period, 575 are brick bungalows, mixed with two- and three-flat apartment buildings, Tudor Revival cottages and about 185 garages. Lots are narrow and buildings sit about fifteen feet from the street, creating a uniform streetscape. Architects such as Ernest Braucher and Benedict Bruns designed more than 140 of the homes, while developers like Fred Cooper and Gustav Anderson built whole blocks. The district was recognized for its role in encouraging single-family homeownership for working-class families and for its well-preserved, consistent architecture. Its strictly residential layout also contrasted with nineteenth-century Chicago neighborhoods, where homes, shops and industry overlapped.