BLUE HOUSE
PROJECT TYPE: Speculative Home with Addition and Renovation
LOCATION: Oak Park Ridgeland Historic District, IL
PROJECT YEAR: 2025
YEAR BUILT: 1886
PROJECT AREA: 3800 SF
The Blue House is a Queen Anne residence that predates the Prairie Style, standing as the oldest home on its block in Oak Park's Ridgeland Historic District. Originally built in 1886, its façade was clad in thin cedar siding painted in two tones—though the exact colors are now lost to time. In the 1950s, the home’s second owner introduced blue aluminum siding that gave rise to its enduring name as “the blue house.” At the street, original Victorian details—trims, balusters, doors, and brackets—remained remarkably intact prior to renovation, preserving a tangible link to its 19th-century craftsmanship.
Project Team: Steven Huang, Haochen Geng, Diana Borshch, Yeong Jae Lee, Vinati Tallapragada
Photographer: Junfu Cui