Giles-Calumet District

Address: Generally the 3700 and 3800-block of S. Giles Ave. and the 3800-block of S. Calumet Ave. Year Built: 1885 - 1923 Architect: Various Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: July 29, 2009

Developed in the late-19th and early-20th century, the Giles-Calumet District consists of handsome row houses, small free-standing houses and two-flats in the Douglas community area neighborhood. The buildings are designed in a variety of architectural styles, including Italianate, Queen Anne, Romanesque, and Classical Revival as well as a group of unusual Flemish Revival-style row houses, which is a rare style in Chicago. Architects designing buildings in the District include John Turner Long, Charles M. Palmer, Myron H. Church, and Michaelsen & Rognstad. The District reflects the work of George A. Springer, Nimrod Lancaster and Jean-Baptiste Valliquette, who originally owned and subdivided the land. Springer and his sons were especially important, building several row houses that make up the core of the District. The District also exemplifies later African-American history through the house at 3800 S. Calumet, built for Louis B. Anderson, who was elected Alderman in 1917 becoming the second African-American to serve on the Chicago City Council.