Address: 40-52 E. Chicago Ave. Year Built: 1882-83 Architect: James J. Egan Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: March 26, 1996

A particularly fine--and rare--surviving example of Victorian Gothic design, this is one of the city's best late-19th century apartment buildings. Because early luxury apartments in America were viewed with skepticism, the Chicago Avenue facade of this building was designed to look like a series of four separate townhouses. The building was named in honor of the Benedictine order, which had maintained a church on the site until the Chicago Fire of 1871. The architect, James Egan, was noted throughout the Midwest for his designs of residential, commercial, government, and ecclesiastical buildings.

Innovative Housing
1.	Chicago Avenue Facade, 1985, photo by Bob Thall
2.	Entrance detail, 1985, photo by Bob Thall
3.	Wabash Avenue Facade, 1985, photo by Bob Thall