Carmen Manor

Did you ever wonder about the history of the building on Carmen near Foster? The WFCW block club area (bounded by Foster, Broadway, Clark, and Winnemac) includes a diverse building stock. The building known today as Carmen Manor is one of its landmarks. Indeed, it's a unique building that stands apart from its neighbors.

What was the building used for? It seems likely that Carmen Manor began as a telephone operator's station. An early map labels it Illinois Bell Telephone Co. Other clues to its function are in the 1906 photograph. The large number of windows indicate that people, not just machines, would have been working inside. The tall chimney suggests that the building was heated and maybe even had an electric generator that would have provided power to the machinery. Finally the building's architectural ornament (limestone belt- and string-courses, decorative window sills, cornice, the plaque on the parapet, and the almost-gaudy front door) implies that Illinois Bell wanted to fit in amiably with the neighborhood. It's true that
architects of the day probably would have gussied up a garden shed or a junkyard gate, given the opportunity. The telephone company had further motivation to present a dignified face on their industrial building due to its location in a burgeoning residential area.

Why build a telephone station here anyway? The location of Carmen Manor is convenient to utility access via the alley behind Clark Street, a thriving commercial location even in the early 1900s. More generally, Chicago was growing and telephone service was in high demand. Development of the street car and L systems fueled population growth to the area. Empty lots in the block area essentially disappear by 1930. At the same time telephones were rapidly
spreading. In 1900 Illinois Bell served 34,000 telephones. By 1930 the number grew to one million. Today a there is still a telephone utility building near the neighborhood. It's at the northwest corner of Clark and Carmen.

What's the deal with the building's newer top story? Expansion. One building strategy is to design your building to accommodate future expansion. Illinois Bell might have anticipated future telephone service that would require a building too large to construct in the short term. Another local building, the Broadway Bank, at Lawrence Ave and Broadway was built this way. Even today, you can see buildings in the Loop constructing more stories upward.

There are aspects and clues to the story of Carmen Manor and its relation to the neighborhood. I'll follow up with more at a later time. Sources for local history that I like (and used here) are the Encyclopedia of Chicago (encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org ) and Sanborn Fire Insurance maps (available through the Chicago Public Library).

If you would like to share any maps or historical documents relating to Carmen Manor or the neighborhood, please contact the webmaster at WFCWchicago@yahoo.com.