1354 W. Touhy Avenue

From HistoryWiki

1354 W. Touhy Avenue was 1354 W. Kenilworth Avenue, William W. Holmes, 1919.

1354 W. Touhy Avenue, the Richardson House (2011)

Circa: 1910, or so.

Original Owner:

Second Owner:

Third Owner:

Fourth Owner:

Present (2011) Owner: Rob and Liz Richardson

This house was featured in the 2011 Annual House Tour

The Richardsons are only the fifth owners of this house, believed to be over a century old. While undertaking a recent renovation of the kitchen, the owners uncovered hardware on one of the windows inscribed 1885. The home still boasts many of its original features, while also having been brought up to date in many respects, albeit in harmony with the house’s original character. Fireplaces on the main floor and second floor were originally coal burning, and the first floor fireplace retains its beautiful antique tile and cast iron face. The bathroom on the second floor features the original suite of fixtures, with the pedestal tub, tulip pedestal sink, and commode.

The Richardsons had the baseboards and window trim made to match the rest of the house. While remodeling the kitchen, they chose soap stone for the counters since the designer believed that they would have been in the house originally. One curious find that the owners made in the house was an ivory handled woman’s pistol in the basement rafters. The Richardsons heard from their long-time neighbors that one of the previous owners was frightened after the house was broken into through the basement windows, and even went so far as bricking up the basement windows. The Richardsons have kept the pistol on display as a unique keepsake of the house’s history.