416 N 4th Ave
Maywood, IL 60153, USA

Timothy J. Lynch House - National Register of Historic Places

Statement of Significance:

The Timothy J. Lynch House meets Criterion C for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. It is architecturally significant as the fines t and best-preserved example of a Chicago bungalow in the Village of Maywood.
In a community fille d with Chicago bungalows, (in concept a modest building type comparable to the 19th Century cottage), this house is the palace. I t is located, not among hundreds on the southwest and northwest areas of Maywood, but in the original section developed by the Maywood Company, the area with the highest number of architecturally significant building. The owner selected the fines t neighborhood, surrounding centra l Maywood, near elegant Queen Anne and Prairie houses, to build his home.

In materials and configuration this is a typica l Chicago bungalow. Like thousands mass-produced i n tract s in Chicago neighborhoods and surrounding suburbs during the 1920's, it is a 1-1/2 story narrow brick building with a tile roof, broad overhangs and a projecting living room bay. But it is a distinctive example--larger and occupying a prominent corner lot. I t is also more richly detailed. Complex stained-glass windows are laced with gold, woodwork is richly grained and living room moldings are, though confined within the geometry of bands, ornamented. The fireplace occupies an important position in the living room, in its own cozy space.

The Chicago bungalow, by definition, was influenced by the horizontal emphasis and basic simplicity of Prairie School architecture. This building is no exception, as evidenced by its broad overhangs, living room banding, and discipline d geometric ornamentation. I t also contains design elements common to the Prairie and Craftsman movements--dark wood trim, paneled wainscoting, built-in furniture and a basic simplification of form. Even when historic elements are used--arches and moldings-- they are highly discipline d in form. Honesty i n the use of materials is immediately evident; tile, wood and brick are immediately readable as tile, wood and brick. The Lynch House is typica l of the Chicago bungalow type, but particularly significant because of the quality of its design elements tie d to Prairie and Craftsman architecture.

The Lynch House reflects s the basic simplification and utilitarianism m that took place in architecture around the turn-of - the-century, and became more pronounced by the teens and twenties as the highly efficient one-story bungalow type evolved. Walls are plaster with simple moldings; there are no richly ornamented dust catchers. Windows are everywhere, guaranteeing cross ventilation. The multi-purpose family/living room has replaced the more formal parlor, and comfort, as expressed in the inclusion of the inglenook, is a priority.

Because of its fin e integrity , as well as its excellent maintenance, the Lynch House continues to express its particular magnificence in Maywood as a beautifully detailed Chicago bungalow.