1426 W. Sherwin Avenue
1426 W. Sherwin Avenue, John A. Mahoney, 1919.
1426 W. Sherwin Avenue is (1994) owned by Philip and Gwen Nordgren who have owned it since August 1975.
This house was included on the 1988 Annual Fall House Tour and the 1994 Annual Fall House Tour.
Original Owner: Carroll S. McMillan
Second Owner: John Mahoney and Katherine Mahoney
Third Owner: Ernest S. Hough and Lillian Hough in 1920s.
Fourth Owner: Joe Gordon and Mae Gordon, until 1940
Fifth Owner: Isabel Victor, widow of Charles Victor 1940-1959
Sixth Owner: Edward Price and Marian Price 1959-1975
Present (1994) Owner: Philip and Gwen Nordgren, from 1975
The Nordgren House provides another variation on the Prairie School American Foursquare house, although here the characteristic overhanging eaves are more pronounced. This 2,500 sq.ft. home is located on a double city lot.
The front of this house is devoted to an all-purpose 'general assembly' room which overlooks a lawn full of marigolds. This area was converted from an external screened-in porch to an interior room with tiled floor, radiators, and bookshelves.
As you enter from the sheltered front porch, you encounter built-in cabinets. Probably installed in the 1940s, they are an organized person's dream. The large entry foyer opens to the stairwell, sun porch, living room, and hall, simultaneously. The sun porch originally had two large openings, but the living room opening was closed off during renovations that made this area usable year round.
In 1978, the living room fireplace was remodeled. At that time, it was converted back to a working fireplace and a new facade was added. The dining room has some unusual pieces of furniture purchased from a previous owner and a chandelier with French glass. The Nordgrens removed all interior shutters from every window on both floors to provide more light for plants. A door in the dining room leads to an external cement patio on the North side of the house. It is presently (1994) being used for firewood storage.
The kitchen was remodeled in 1959. Additional space was created by closing off a stairway which lead up to what once was the maid's quarters. New cabinets, counter tops, a sink, dishwasher, and flooring were installed. Look for an elegant wallpaper in the kitchen, as well as in the nearby powder room. New cabinets and extra closets were installed beneath the main staircase. A powder room was added in 1927. The eat-in kitchen and powder room are much the same as they were after the 1960 remodeling.
Traveling to the basement, there is a recreation room, large wet bar, and bathroom. Laundry facilities and storage are also found here.
En route to the four bedrooms upstairs, you will pass a 64-year (1948) old doll house. When you arrive on the second floor, gleaming, refinished oak floors greet you. The family converted one of the bedrooms into an office and computer room. Linked to the office and bathroom is an additional patio. The master bathroom features a custom glass shower, Kohler toilet and sink, a large jacuzzi, duettes to shade the windows from the strong western sun, marble floor, and tile walls. Room for the jacuzzi was created by expanding the room into what was once the sun deck.
Next to the office, facing the wall, you'll find a closed made from the former maid's stairwell. In the northeast corner was the nursery, once connected by a passageway to the master bedroom in front. This passageway was closed off to create a bathroom and a closet for the master bedroom in the 1940s. To the west is another bedroom used as a guest room.
