The Chicago two-flat

Many older U.S. cities have a signature kind of building. In Philadelphia, it’s distinctive row houses. In Brooklyn, it’s the brownstone.

What about Chicago? Beyond the soaring steel and glass skyscrapers of downtown, you’ll find the humble wood, brick and stone that make up our neighborhood homes. The real workhorse of Chicago’s built environment is the modest, ubiquitous (yet fascinating) two-flat. Two-flats, along with their larger cousins the four-flat and six-flat, make up more than 30 percent of our city’s housing stock. 

You know the typical building: two stories—with an apartment unit on each floor—usually with bay windows greeting the street through of a facade of brick or greystone. Most were built between 1900 and 1920.