“A colossal mansion on Garfield Boulevard with links to the Great Chicago Fire, the Union Stockyards and Wrigley Field is boarded up and seemingly vacant six years after a longtime owner put it up for sale.
”With the house now headed to demolition court proceedings, its fate is uncertain, but because of its rock-solid brownstone construction, it appears to be holding up while left empty.
”The crumbling former home of ‘Big Jim’ O’Leary — son of the woman who used to get the blame for starting the devastating fire in October 1871, and himself a notorious character who ran a huge gambling hall — went up for sale in November 2020. The asking price was a little under $600,000.
”It had not sold by August 2024, when the asking price was down to $450,000 and was taken off the market.
”Now plywood covers some doors, weeds and debris choke the front and back yards, and the 12-bedroom house looked abandoned when Crain’s took a look over the weekend.
”’It really needs to be buttoned up and watched over,’ said Eric Nordstrom. A Chicago preservationist and architectural historian who salvages and documents historical architecture, Nordstrom showcases objects at his museum and store called Urban Remains on Grand Avenue in West Town.
”’We can’t lose this one,’ Nordstrom said. “Even so, ‘I think it could absolutely be stabilized and saved.’
”The richly carved stone exterior is visibly sturdy, and once-sumptuous interior finishes were still in good condition in photos from several years ago seen in the now-expired listing.
”After this story was published, the Department of Buildings told Crain’s the property is headed for demolition court proceedings within the city’s law department. It’s the first step in a long process whose final possibility Nordstrom, among others, would like to prevent.
”On July 23, a Chicago Department of Buildings inspector issued six citations against the building. They include failure to register an abandoned building and to post the owner’s contact information on the exterior of an abandoned building and failure to ‘maintain building so it does not constitute actual and imminent danger to public.’
”The house’s present condition belies its grandeur. The facade is imposing, with stairs leading up to a columned and roofed porch, bays of windows and a pair of stately, stone-framed windows flanking a round window at the top.
”All around are carved details: botanicals, geometricals, dragons and in one case an image of a woman’s face that legend claims is a representation of star-crossed Catherine O’Leary. (In 1997 the City Council officially cleared Mrs. O’Leary of any blame for the catastrophic fire.)
”The old listing’s interior photos show extensive wood trim, including an opulent carved staircase made of quarter-sawn oak, ceiling beams and window trim.
”Built in 1888, the Renaissance Revival facade was the design of Zachary Taylor Davis, the architect of the old Comiskey Park and Weeghman Park, still standing as Wrigley Field, race tracks, courthouses and churches.
”The house was built for James O’Leary, who was two years old at the time of the great fire and grew up to become ‘the gambling king of the stockyards,’ according to historian John Schmidt.” (Rodkin, Crain’s Chicago Business, 9/1/26)
”Ward Miller, president of Preservation Chicago, said the mansion is not currently landmarked but the group would like a new owner to seek landmark protections especially if they plan major changes to the interior.
”’Ideally we would like it to remain single family, but if the only means of preservation is to convert it into condominiums it would have to be done carefully, with certain interior rooms kept intact,’ Miller said. ‘These are the wonderful stories that are sometimes overlooked. We would like to see the city be more proactive in protecting these buildings and promoting them.’” (Nesbitt Golden, Block Club Chicago, 2/16/21)
Preservation Chicago has been concerned about the O’Leary Mansion since it was listed for sale in 2021. The O’Leary Mansion is a magnificent brownstone survivor of the Gilded Age boulevard system, richly carved with botanicals, geometric ornament and dragons, and it deserves the recognition and protection of a Chicago Landmark designation. We encourage all stakeholders and decision makers to pursue this option.
It is concerning that a building of this caliber has been allowed to languish and is now in Building Court. Preservation Chicago always attends Building Court hearings to vocally advocate for historic buildings suffering from significant neglect.
Preservation Chicago encourages the Department of Buildings and the Department of Law to use the demolition court proceeding to achieve stabilization. Time is of the essence to secure the building while it is still sound and to establish a path to allow a new preservation-oriented owner to purchase the building. We will work with the City, the community, and any prospective purchaser to bring this remarkable house back into good condition.
Read the full story at Crain’s Chicago Business
- Mansion built by Mrs. O’Leary’s son headed to demolition court, Dennis Rodkin, Crain’s Chicago Business, 9/1/26
- Home of ‘gambling king of the stockyards’ faces uncertain fate; Crain’s Daily Gist podcast, Crain’s Chicago Business, 9/3/26
- Mrs. O’Leary’s 1880s Englewood Mansion For Sale — And It Has Its Very Own Fire Hydrant; Gambling boss James O’Leary supposedly had the Garfield Boulevard mansion built for his mom, Catherine, whose cow once was rumored to have started the Great Chicago Fire, Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Block Club Chicago, 2/16/21
- Mansion of Woman Falsely Blamed for 1871 Great Chicago Fire Is Up for Sale, Nora McGreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 2/19/21
- Mrs. O’Leary’s son built this ornate Garfield Boulevard mansion, Dennis Rodkin, Crain’s Chicago Business, 11/5/20
- The True Story of “Little” O’Leary, John Schmidt, WBEZ, 10/9/12
- THREATENED: O’Leary Mansion Listed for Sale; Preservation Chicago, 2/2021