This 1890s worker’s cottage was one of hundreds constructed after Chicago's Great Fire to house the city’s growing immigrant population. The new owners—an avid reader and an art collector—approached the project with diverging goals: one sought intimate rooms enriched by heritage detail; the other envisioned open, minimalist spaces to display contemporary art.​ 

 

The project brief called for a total restoration, along with the introduction of a steel-and-glass addition and a new ADU. The result is a dialogue between historic preservation and contemporary architectural intervention, where past and present converse rather than compete.

​

The original brickwork was meticulously restored, and damaged ornamental details were reconstructed using custom masonry matched to the existing clay. Nearly every structural component was replaced to meet current standards while preserving the historic character.

 

The restored 19th-century façade transitions to a rear addition, where a double-height glass pavilion introduces a 21st-century counterpoint. A steel moment frame supports the structure, echoing the gabled geometry of neighboring cottages while opening the home to the garden.  

​

Inside, a sequence of arched passages draws sightlines toward the addition. Intimate rooms with restored detailing give way to expansive, gallery-like spaces. An elliptical dining room at the center of the home offers a moment of spatial release within the narrow footprint.​ 

 

Collector’s Cottage is a home that balances past and present, intimacy and openness, and architecture and art—transforming a piece of architectural history into a living work of art.