2557 W. Farwell Avenue
Circa: 1925
Architects: Dewey & Pavlovich
Original Owner:
Present Owners:Ashish and Colleen Taylor Sen
This bungalow was visited as part of the 1988 Annual Spring House Tour and the 2003 Annual Fall House Tour
If ever the design of a house deserved to be called Eclectic, it is the quietly elegant home of Colleen and Ashish Sen. As is characteristic of Eclecticism, a variety of styles are brought together in "friendly competition" to achieve a unified effect. One minute the Sen home looks distinctly Spanish. Step inside and its aura is English and in another moment, the mood is Mediterranean.
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks, in its 1983 survey of the 50th Ward, made note of a striking feature of the Sen home: the cream-colored, glazed terracotta pottery used in the construction of the exterior. This is an architectural feature that makes the house especially significant in the context of the immediate community. Adding to the drama of the outside are elaborately decorated columns and pictorial panels on the face of the building.
The Sens, who bought the house in November 1981, were especially attracted to the spacious living room (17 x 23) with its peaked cathedral ceiling, crossed with great wooden beams. The distinction of the living room is further enhanced by rosewood cabinets covering three radiators and a balconied recess in the south wall, serving as a cozy niche for art.
The dining room is highlighted by rich, walnut paneling, by a built-in china cabinet also in walnut, and a Waterford crystal chandelier which hangs in silent grace over the dining table. Echoing the design motifs of the dining room paneling, are the walnut cabinets in the kitchen and an adjacent breakfast nook.
On the second floor there is the tower room with its handsome green skylight and a bedroom done in the typical informality of the 1960s with acoustic ceiling tile and wood paneling.
2557 W. Farwell Avenue, was a Murder scene during the Capone era.
Chicago Landmarks Historic Resources Survey
Architect: Dewey & Pavlovich
Historic Name:
Community: West Ridge (02)
Address: 2557 W. Farwell Avenue
Constructed: Started in 07/01/1928
Classification: Building
Style:
Type: Single-Family Residence
Color Code: Orange
Landmark? N
National Register? N
Major Tenant:
Building Details:
Pin: 1036229001
Photos
RPWRHS photo S013-0440 shows the bungalow of Ashish and Colleen Taylor Sen at 2557 W. Farwell Avenue taken in 1988.
RPWRHS photo S013-0655 shows the bungalow of Ashish and Colleen Taylor Sen at 2557 W. Farwell Avenue in June 1984.
RPWRHS photo S013-0719 shows the bungalow of Ashish and Colleen Taylor Sen at 2557 W. Farwell Avenue in June 1984.
