Ukrainian Village District

Address: Irregular boundaries roughly bounded by Haddon, Damen, Rice and Western Year Built: Architect: Various Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: December 4, 2002

The Ukrainian Village District contains an excellent cross-section of residential building types that provides a visual history of immigration settlement on Chicago's Near West Side. Together, they form an important residential streetscape, one that tells the story of German, Polish, and, ultimately, Ukrainian immigrants who settled in the area throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s. An extremely well-preserved collection of Worker's Cottages, two- and three-flats, single family residences, and large apartment buildings, nearly one out of every three of the buildings in the district was developed by the early influential Chicago real estate developer William D. Kerfoot. The first real estate developer to reestablish his business after the Great Fire in 1871, Kerfoot became the embodiment of the "I Will" spirit of Chicago. He reopened his office the day after the fire ended with a sign on his door reading: "W.D. Kerfoot. All gone but, wife, children and energy." These unpretentious residences feature distinguished workmanship and finely crafted details.