Bartlett buildings recognized for historical significance
The Bartlett Historical Society recently recognized the owners of four homes, a “log cabin” and a barn in the village that have been declared historic buildings by the society.
Members of the historical society’s plaque committee — including Gary and Joan Plice, Carol Ann Kunkel and Eileen Lucietto — presented each owner with a plaque that displayed the year their building was constructed. The presentation occurred during a village board meeting May 15.
Arts & Crafts Bungalow, 217 N. Oak Ave. — Built around 1924, the home’s exterior has been restored by the current owners, August and Ellyn Annoreno, to be accurate with its original style. The front porch is an addition to the original home, but an accurate reproduction of a typical bungalow porch from that time period.
Bartlett Park “Log Cabin,” 102 N. EasternAve. — Once known as the village’s Community Center, the log cabin was completed in 1952, a result of various community groups working together for four years to complete the project. The Women’s Club donated $1,000 and purchased furniture for the building; The Bartlett Volunteer Fire Department provided labor; the Bartlett Lions Club paid for the floors and fireplace; and the Garden Club donated money for landscaping. It is now owned by the Bartlett Park District, which used the basement of the building for its offices in the 1970s.
Barn, 225 N. Tatge Ave. — Built around 1886, the barn is considered by the historical society to be “the very last survivor of (Bartlett’s) agrarian past.” It once stood on the southeast corner of Oak and North avenues and served the Humbracht farm until the 1930s. Community dances and other events were said to have taken place in the barn. An attached silo has since been removed. The current owners, Adam and Stephanie Hopkins, have repainted the building and replaced the roof. They use it for storage and gardening.
Mid-Century Modern, 107 W. North Ave. — Finished in 1959, the home is a long-slung ranch building, popular in the post World War II era. The roof structure was inspired by a Frank Lloyd Wright building. The builder and designer of the home — Jerry Faber, a former village trustee and village building inspector — still lives there today.
Tudor Revival, 205 N. Hickory Ave. — Made of brick and stone with a steeply pitched roof and massive chimney, the home was built around 1932 for John and Ruth Baxman, one of Bartlett’s German pioneer families. Ruth was the daughter of a pastor at Immanuel United Church of Christ, and her husband worked for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. The current owners, Jim and Nancy Butler, have lived there since 1996.
Bungalow Variant, 208 N. Oak Ave. — The home, constructed around 1928, was originally used as a rental property. Its features include “three over one” panes, double-hung windows and a stucco finish. The current owner, Amanda Williams, was convinced by her now deceased husband to move out of their Bloomingdale house and make the bungalow home. Together, with their “youthful energy,” they put in “lots of hard work and love to make it their own,” according to the historical society.