| Johnnyia Gamble's Photo Debut 2007 The setting: Garfield Park Conservatory. Purpose: Introduction to new talent |
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| THEY CALL IT A WEED, So we will ignore it. "BENEATH OUR FEET" PLANTAIN, MIRACLE HERB |
Bronzeville Artists
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| Time has brought about many changes for Chicago, but it has also solidified things too. The Garlows of South Park are one example.( Garage /Bungalow ) During the 1920's many mens visions were realized in the form of real estate, the boom before the depression left post depression era entrepreneurs scrambling for investment ideas when money was everyones objective. One man invisioned a garage built in the rear of a lot, sectioned off on the inside into efficient living quarters with walls built to be temporary. |
| His idea was that a person unable to purchase a home could purchase one of his garlows and live there until more prosperous times. Then a house could be built in the front of the lot. He purchased land along what is now 80th & King Drive and built his Garlows. The best way to describe the feel of the lots the Garlows sit on is "rural" |
| In the decades since, not a single owner followed this path. In fact some full size homes were built in the rear of some adjacent lots. The home owners have added to their garage homes making them more comfortable and permanent. |
| The peculiar arrangement of a garage in the front of the lot has a tendency to create a secluded lot . Homes would never be built as cheaply as garages but the designers of the Garlows had no idea how home costs would rise. |
| Here the lots of Garlows end. One advantage to the owner of the house on the left is a northerly view and extra sunshine as a result of the set back nature of the Garlows. |
| Further west along 103rd street, it is common on some major streets for the back yard to sit between the street and the house. In those cases the yards are fenced in and unaccessable from the street. These garages give the street an alley accent from one perspective. This is the view along Calumet avenue. |
| Another advantage of having your house sitting in the rear of the lot is that it affords every one the opportunity to have a driveway, even on these narrow 25 ft. wide Chicago lots. |
| These homes look more like country cottages in their unique setting. |
| The fact that the houses sit so far back from the main street makes s.them quieter than the houses that sit on the drive |
| Many homes have disguised all traces of their original structure except for the placement on the lots. |
| Visually the Garlows are at their worst in the winter. Without the summer landscape there is little to attract the eye to these properties. They look barren and bleek. |
| There is a great deal of pride in the owners of some of these homes and they have made showcases of them. |
| Some homes have more than doubled its size over the years |
| A unique culture of architecture, another curious fact about Chicago. |
| Just west of King Drive on Calumet sit several more Garlows, some showing less pride in their property than others. while some others great innovations. |
| It would appear that the old Garlows will keep being reborn over the years,as their value increases, in a housing market where nothing decreases in value. Located in the Chatham neighborhood their market value is solid. |
