Building began to slowly rebound in the 1940s, and even homes built after 1931––ranches, Cape Cods, Tudor revivals, and Georgian Revivals of the 1940s and 50s––are constructed of materials like brick and limestone, keeping in harmony with their neighboring Chicago bungalows.Ī majority of the bungalows in the district were inhabited by first generation Americans, their parents having emigrated from countries including Ireland, Germany, Bohemia, Holland, Austria, Scotland, England, Canada, and Italy. We can assume that due to the Great Depression, construction stopped abruptly in the district in 1931. The vast majority of the homes in the district-over 70%––were constructed in the brief period from 1924-1927. The number of homes grew at a trickling pace until 1924, when developers put up 76 new single-family homes, all Chicago bungalows. The first confirmed Chicago bungalows in the proposed Gage Park Bungalow Historic District were completed on March 24th, 1919 at 57 S. The Gages eventually fell on hard times, but when land for a park was purchased in 1873 at 55th and Western, the park and community area were named for George and the Gage family. George and his brother David came to Chicago sometime around 1850 and quickly became successful real estate speculators. Family members of George Washington Gage owned property about seven blocks east of the proposed Gage Park Bungalow District, near 55th Street and Western Avenue. The first settlers of what is now Gage Park were German farmers who came to the district in the 1840s and 50s. The Gage Park Bungalow Historic District is located in Community Area 63 on the southwest side of Chicago, approximately seven miles from the Chicago Loop.