Belmonte Flats
Why it's listed
Belmonte Flats is an eight-story apartment building on the northeast corner of 43rd Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Chicago's Grand Boulevard community area. Patton & Fisher designed the main block in 1893 and a four-story annex in 1896; an enclosed brick walkway links the two at the third and fourth floors. The building has a battered limestone base, brick upper stories, curved oriel windows, a cylindrical corner tower and a foliated terra cotta cornice. Its style is mainly Chicago School, with Richardsonian Romanesque massing and Queen Anne rounded bays. Inside, the lobby keeps its ornamental ceiling beams and some mosaic tile flooring. It was listed as one of few remaining late 19th-century tall apartment buildings in Chicago and as a rare multi-family design by a firm known for municipal work. It has been vacant for years, a fire damaged the top floor, and a rehabilitation was planned.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a fine, rare surviving late 19th-century tall apartment building in Chicago, combining Chicago School form with Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque detailing. It is also a good example of multi-family residential work by Patton & Fisher, a firm better known for municipal buildings. It is the tallest building in the Grand Boulevard area and reflects the area's development around transit and the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 98000063, listed February 5, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 4257-4259 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., and 400-412 E. 43rd St., Chicago |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | February 5, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98000063 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Patton & Fisher |
| Architectural style | Chicago School with Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque detailing |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant for years; a fire damaged the eighth-floor roof. A rehabilitation was scheduled at the time of nomination. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.81684, -87.60469 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 98000063.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q85746494
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.