National Historic Landmark

Abbott, Robert S., House

Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
Listed
December 8, 1976
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
76000686

About this property

The Robert S. Abbott House is a historic house in the Grand Boulevard community area of Chicago, Illinois. Built in 1900, it was the home of Robert S. Abbott, founder and publisher of the Chicago Defender, the most-circulated African-American newspaper in the nation, from 1926 up until his death in 1940. His home was designated a National Historic Landmark status in 1976. The Robert S. Abbott House stands on Chicago's South Side, north of Washington Park on the west side of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and on the same block as the Harold Washington Cultural Center on the east side. It stands at the southern end of a group of row houses, and is the left side of an asymmetrical duplex. Its construction date is unknown, but is estimated to be about 1900 based on its architectural style, which is a combination of Late Victorian and Neo-Classical elements. The combined units share a hip roof, with that on the left featuring a large projecting gabled section two bays in width. To its right, a single bay set next to the entrance to the adjacent unit, while the on its left, the unit's entrance is sheltered under a separate side porch. The interior, which has been further broken up into separate living units, retains some of its original elements. National Register of Historic Places listings in South Side Chicago Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. IL-1092, "Robert S. Abbott House, 4742 Martin Luther King Drive, Chicago, Cook County, IL", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page

Location

4742 Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr.
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
41.81002, -87.61619

Categories

BLACKLITERATURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

De Priest, Oscar Stanton, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church
Colonial
0.2 mi
Overton, Anthony, Elementary School
Industrial
0.4 mi
Rosenwald Apartment Building
Industrial
0.4 mi
Swift House
Civil War
0.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was Abbott, Robert S., House listed on the National Register?

Abbott, Robert S., House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 8, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Abbott, Robert S., House?

Abbott, Robert S., House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Abbott, Robert S., House a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Abbott, Robert S., House has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Abbott, Robert S., House?

The period of significance for Abbott, Robert S., House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Abbott, Robert S., House?

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