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We're not sure about the exact history of this place, but we found rental ads for it in 1906 Chicago newspapers. In 1908 it was the subject of a landmark court case, Hart v. Everhardt; the owner stated the building was worth $85,000 (that's $2,076,000 in 2013 currency). According to the maps on HistoricAerials.com, the Bon Air was still standing in 1962, but had disappeared by the time 1972 rolled around.
We don't know when this picture was taken, but noting the lack of vehicles and the fact that both Leland and Winthrop were dirt roads, we suspect it was quite a long time ago. If anyone has any further information about the Bon Air Apartments, please add it to the comments.
I wonder what was there between this place and Christopher House...
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to see on the Historic Aerials site, but I think it's a big empty lot. There were so many of them back in the day. Drive around Englewood and you see blocks where there are four or five buildings left on a block, and Uptown didn't look that different then. It's gone from a grand building to a good cause!
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