DuPont–Whitehouse House - Chicago, IL
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libbykc
N 41° 49.717 W 087° 41.176
16T E 443012 N 4630975
In 1920, this stately Italianate manor was moved about a block from its original location to avoid demolition after the land it stood on was sold.
Waymark Code: WM13K90
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 12/30/2020
Views: 1
The Dupont-Whithouse House was designed by architects Oscar Cobb & Company and built in 1875-76. It was built by the Dupont Explosives Company, a major business interest in the neighborhood, for its agent Junot Whitehouse, the superintendent of the company's gunpowder plant in Chicago. It has changed hands various times over the years and is in an ongoing state of rehabilitation. It was designated a Chicago city landmark in 1996.
The house was relocated a half a block from its original location in 1920 after the land it stood on was sold to a developer that intended to use the location for a freight depot. According to the City of Chicago landmark designation report, "Since the acquisition of the land called for the demolition of the house, [then owner] Emil Klank made provisions for its relocation to another site, the northwest corner of Artesian Avenue and 36th Street, one block to the northwest. In preparation for the move, a new stone foundation for the house was erected on the site. According to neighborhood residents who witnessed the move, the house was placed on a temporary supporting grillage and lifted off its foundation. The grillage was attached to railroad wheels, and the entire building was rolled to the new site on a series of temporary railroad tracks." (
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