The school above is the Mt. Greenwood Elementary School in the far southwest side of Chicago. I graduated from Mt. Greenwood in 1962.
The following shots are housing on the perimeter of the school.
An older home north of the school.
Many of the homes were and are modest bungalows and cape cod. Homes. A typical 50's family would have raised four children in these homes. These homes would range from 2 to 3 bedrooms and perhaps 800 feet on the first floor. Some of them had a second floor for an additional 400 feet.
A nicer cape cod home included dormer windows to open up the second floor.
There has been significant investment in homes in Mt Greenwood. A typical improvement would add a full second level to the original cape cod, often cantilevering over the first floor to pick up additional space.
Another nice improvement is the addition of large front porches to replace the original "stoop".
The home above adds a full second story and the front porch.
The home above illustrates an original brick bungalow on the right and a bungalow with a full second story added on the left.
The school has recently been substantially improved with a large addition and improved playground equipment. When we were there in the 1950's the playground was a large gravel lot with no equipment. Of course we also had to walk 3 miles uphill each way to school in blizzard conditions.
The front porch and flower baskets are a nice touch.
Mt Greenwood is somewhat unique in the south side of Chicago. Many City of Chicago employees are required to live in the City. A large number of Police and Firemen have chosen Mt. Greenwood, which helps stabilize the community and maintain high property values.
Housing price on Zillow for the brick cape cod home below at 10900 and Trumbull near the Mt Greenwood School:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/10900-S-Trumbull-Ave-Chicago-IL-60655/4083881_zpid/
