Blueprint/Design/Layout of Brownstones (Chicago, Washington: middle-class, sales, real estate)

[JustinHaugens]

I've been looking lately for information regarding building designs regarding brownstones, if possible, particular to Chicago yet I haven't been able to find anything at all. I have a feeling I am simply not looking in the right place.

I understand that blueprints are typically treated as property and sold so to the detail level they offer is not what I'm looking for. Just simply looking for information and information for reference.

Hopefully I am making sense though...

Also, is there a typical size of brownstones, 3-4 flat type buildings. Driving throughout the city there tends to be a standard size of the buildings and I understand any suggestion(s) would not be perfect.

[coldwine]

Originally Posted by JustinHaugens

I've been looking lately for information regarding building designs regarding brownstones, if possible, particular to Chicago yet I haven't been able to find anything at all. I have a feeling I am simply not looking in the right place.

I understand that blueprints are typically treated as property and sold so to the detail level they offer is not what I'm looking for. Just simply looking for information and information for reference.

Hopefully I am making sense though...

Also, is there a typical size of brownstones, 3-4 flat type buildings. Driving throughout the city there tends to be a standard size of the buildings and I understand any suggestion(s) would not be perfect.

Brownstone simply refers to the brown stone of the material used. If you mean brownstone townhomes exclusively, they are all different. Chicago doesn't have much in the way of brownstones, or even townhomes.

[JustinHaugens]

Unfortunately that's all I have ever heard them referred to as so that's what I used.

Guess this was pointless to make this.

[paytonc]

I'm sure that I posted a reply to this -- or maybe I wrote it and forgot about it, but anyways. "Brownstone" is a local NYC term that refers to the brown Hudson Valley stone that was commonly used there for middle-class rowhouses. Chicago has few rowhouses, since fire codes strongly favored detached houses; most of what you've seen are two- or three-flats, or permutations thereof.

Most:
- 25' x 125' lot, about 20' x 80' buildable area
- each lot has a detached building

Some:
- outer areas of the city may have 32' wide lots, various streets have 100' or 150'+ deep lots
- in denser areas, 2/3-flats may be arranged side by side on one or more lots, into anything from 6-flats to elaborate courtyard buildings, but the fundamental units don't vary much

Almost all:
- one interior staircase in front, one wooden exterior staircase ("porch") in back
- living room in front (aka "front room"), kitchen in rear (maybe middle) of apartment, bedrooms along a hallway through the middle; however, interior layouts vary substantially

You might also try looking up a book called "Chicago Apartments" by Neil Harris, although I think it mostly deals with luxury high-rises rather than basic low-rise flats. A discussion of the courtyard apartment type is on pages 194-8 in "The Urban Housing Handbook" by Eric Firley. You could also look up floorplans, etc. on various real estate or architects' websites; pay particular attention to sales brochures for condo conversions of older buildings.

Originally Posted by JustinHaugens

Guess this was pointless to make this.

Now, that's not the kind of attitude that'll get you there. Hope you found this helpful.

[Holdencaulfield]

NY had Brownstones, Chicago had Graystones. Not sure which one I like more.

[Lookout Kid]

Are you looking for plans of existing conditions in rowhouses, or are you hoping to rehab one into something different? You may need to hire an architect. There are MANY that are desperate for work who might give you a good price.

[JustinHaugens]

The idea is to do some research now and see if there's a specific style we prefer and develop a course of action. This is hypothetical now, but why not look into it for knowledge sake.

We would >LIKE TO< buy a building in the future to renovate while maintaining the structure rather than "convert" it to a single family home or two floors for one unit, ours, then rent out the others.

It's a fun idea that has some realistic chance behind it. As I said, the idea is a work in progress.

[Lookout Kid]

There was an excellent book published decades ago with detailed information about the various vernacular Chicago housing types, but I've only ever seen it at a university library in another city. I've been looking for it for over ten years, but can't find it anywhere. I'm sure it's out of print.

[kodaka]

You might check in at the Harold Washington Library. They have a visual and performing arts division that includes architectural plans, and would likely have some older blueprints of 2 or 3-flats.

You might also want to use the term 'plans' rather than 'blueprints.' Architects haven't actually used blueprints for a few decades, and the reverse printing method, bluelines haven't been used for the better part of the last decade (they use an ammonia rinse which makes them a toxic and an irritant). So it might be the terminology you are using that is the problem in your searches.

There's a company called "Justfloorplans" that might be able to help you. They are intended to help real estate agents--creating floor plans for sell sheets and so forth, but you might be able to buy a few copies of plans from them. Of course a lot of what they may have are renovated floor plans, with all the modern trends like bathroom and appliance fetishes, which may or may not be useful to you.

[JustinHaugens]

Excellent! Thanks!