1408 W. Jarvis Avenue
1408 W. Jarvis Avenue, the Hunter Three-Flat. 1917.
1408 W. Jarvis Avenue, J.L. Kraft, 1919.
1408 W. Jarvis Avenue, Thomas H. Lang, 1919.
This apartment building was featured in the 1994 Annual Fall House Tour.
Circa: 1917
Original Owner: Sylvia Bargman Wentworth (1917-1968)
Second Owner: Rosengren Family (1968-1978)
Third Owner: Hedges Family, (1978-1993)
Present (1994) Owner: Shawn and Colleen Hunter
Two mirror-image 3-Flats were constructed by the same builder on Jarvis Avenue in 1917. To the west is a yellow-brick building with neoclassical stone balusters at the top. To the east is the Hunter Three-Flat, erected with a red brick facade and an overhanging French Provincial roof on the third floor sun porch. Both buildings have outstanding masonry detailing and carved stone entrances.
Sylvia Bargman Wentworth owned 1408 W. Jarvis Avenue from 1917-1968. It was then sold to the Rosengrens, who resided here for 10 years. In 1978, the Hedges Family purchased the building from the Rosengrens. It was in 1993, when Shawn and Colleen Hunter purchased the building. Shawn and Colleen hit the ground running. The entire building has undergone refurbishing. They replaced the first floor windows with thermopane and worked with their neighbor on a wrought iron fencing project to enclose both yards.
The ground floor vestibule is paneled in mahogany with a mock fireplace to the east and a door to a playroom on the west. The apartment is duplexed down into this playroom via a spiral metal staircase. This large (18-ft. by 26-ft.) room has been completely redone (1994) with a new ceiling, walls, and oak floor. Six windows facing the front yard make it a bright and cheerful place.
They stripped brick veneer off the sun porch and dining room floors and put in new oak hardwood floors in these areas and the kitchen. Other oak floors in the home are original, but have been resanded. Stucco-ized walls were sanded and replastered and all the trim had to be replaced. Ceiling fans were installed in many rooms to aid air circulation.
Their sun porch is light and airy, serving the function of a family room. It leads into the mahogany paneled dining room. Four panels had to be replaced. On the eastern wall, there is stained glass above the spot where the original hutches were. There are barrel vaulted ceilings in the dining room and hallway, and a new (1994) Tiffany of Chicago light fixture. Note the hand-built cabinet (built in 1890s) in the northeastern corner of the room. The formal living room has a decorative fireplace and an opening on the north side to the sun porch.
The entry foyer has a circa 1910 alabaster bowl chandelier. From the foyer, down the main hall, you enter the completely gutted and revitalized kitchen. Merillat cabinetry and hunter green Corian counter tops and a coordinated strip of wallpaper is all tied together beautifully to create a gourmet cooking environment. The windows were enlarged and an exposed brick furnace chimney with vintage incinerator hatch was retained to a charming effect. A door off the kitchen leads downstairs to the side exit, new (1994) laundry room, and basement.
Across the hallway is a small bedroom with an American walnut bed. Displayed in the hallway are exotic bird prints from Brazil and further down, a redone guest bathroom. To the left is the master bedroom and bath suite with the large bathroom carved out of the old hall and closet space. Note the interesting Civil War era chimney cabinet being used to store towels. To the back of the master bedroom is a rear porch that the Hunters converted to a large closet and dressing room.
