ranch houses and the suburbs

When we first drove through the neighborhoods west of Green Bay Road and North of Evanston, I said, no way. There is no way we could live here! The houses are too much the same, it is too homogenous...I cannot imagine it. Now, after living in West Wilmette, right in the hard core midst of the 1950s development that built miles and miles of Chicagoland suburbs, well, I love it. It has its own quiet diversity, and as I walk Sadie around and around these streets I find lots to observe and think about.  After reading Alan Hess's books, I feel especially drawn to the houses that are unapologetically single story, resting gently on the flat plane of their site in the colors of the land.

Most of the houses in this area are split level ranches. We live in one at our rental, and as you walk around the neighborhood, you see version upon version of the split level.

 

The loveliest of these houses are brick, red or limestone color, with dark trim. A deep eave also gives these houses a bit more grace.

  

Playing with a shed roof helps these houses also seem a bit more contemporary and as more of a departure from a traditional form.

 

These are all within a few blocks of my house. I recently found a cool blog that cataloged some good midcentury buildings and neighborhoods in Chicago using Google maps. Can't wait to visit these. It has inspired me to finish Gutnayer's map with all of his built projects. But first...I'm going to try to visit his projects in this area and photograph them. First up: Wilmette and Evanston.