ANDERSONVILLE — What once was a 125-year-old farmhouse is now a hole in the ground.
Last week, construction crews demolished an Andersonville home at 5354 N. Paulina Ave. that was originally built in 1889, according to the Edgewater Historical Society.
While the home was completely rehabbed around six years ago, the modern facelift wasn't enough to keep the once-historic home standing. A much bigger home will soon take its place, according to the home's listing agent Susan Dickman.
"For a lot that size, you could put a much larger house on that property," Dickman said of the new owner's decision to start from scratch.
When the wrecking ball hit the home, nearby residents took to the online community message board, EveryBlock, to lament the home's destruction.
"Sad to see that the rehab work was for nothing," one resident wrote.
Another resident said: "I would have opted for restoration and tried to keep it looking period correct, but that's just me. That could have been a real gem if cleaned up right."
Andersonville resident Verena Block told DNAinfo Chicago via email that she's "mostly sad the materials that went into the house [were] torn up and thrown into a Dumpster."
She added: "I feel for the folks who live closer, who had to live with the construction noise and the Dumpster that was parked on Balmoral for years, and now it's going to start all over again."
Vertex Architects helped modernize the home, according to a 2011 Curbed article. The firm enlisted Bain Environmental GreenTroFit Services to make it eco-friendly.
According to Bain's website, the farmhouse had just three owners, but "needed significant rehabilitation." So the owner stripped of all interior finishes and rebuilt the house from the studs, the website said.
During the renovation process, the Edgewater Historical Society sent a letter to Bain, describing the home's history.
According to the 2009 letter, which can be found on Bain's website, "the house was in all probability built before the area was annexed to the City of Chicago in July 1889."
"It is highly probable the house was built for Thomas Stevens, as the previous transfers of the property are also found for other lots," the letter said.
The historical society believes Stevens probably worked as a gardener at nearby Rosehill Cemetery, which opened in the mid-1800s. Stevens died in 1925.
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