The unconventional genius of architect Bruce Goff quietly permeates Chicago's suburban landscape, where five groundbreaking residences continue to challenge conventional notions of home design nearly a century after their creation. These structures, tucked away in neighborhoods from Park Ridge to Aurora and even within Chicago's Uptown district, represent Goff's most prolific period between 1934 and 1942 when he taught and practiced independently in the Windy City. Unlike many architects who served wealthy elites, Goff dedicated himself to designing innovative homes for middle-class Midwestern families, collaborating intimately with clients who often became lifelong patrons and friends.
The Helen Unseth House stands as Goff's inaugural masterpiece at 808 Park Place Avenue in Park Ridge, marking his first commission as an independent architect in 1940. This triangular-shaped dwelling occupies a modest wooded lot yet manages to harmonize with its traditional surroundings while asserting its radical identity. A mysterious storage structure guards the entrance, establishing privacy through architectural intrigue rather than brute enclosure. Diagonal wooden boards frame triangular window coverings, while a vertical arrangement of heavy glass ashtrays punctuates the main entrance as whimsical interpretations of porthole windows. Inside, a central fireplace rises dramatically toward a prismatic skylight that appears to erupt from the roof like geological formations thrusting skyward.
The Charles Turzak Residence at 7059 North Olcott Avenue in Edison Park demonstrates Goff's prescient vision, predating mid-century modernism by nearly two decades. Designed between 1938 and 1939, the narrow corner-lot house features a flat roof, horizontal overhangs, and floor-to-ceiling windows that would become hallmarks of the 1950s modernist movement. Charles Turzak, an artist renowned for his stylized Chicago woodcuts, required abundant natural light for his studio practice. Goff responded with narrow vertical windows wrapping corners and culminating in a glass-enclosed sunroom addition that illuminates the interior workspace.
Two other remarkable examples showcase Goff's versatility across different contexts. The Chester and Irma Rant House in Northfield embodies Usonian principles reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright's influence on Goff's early development. Meanwhile, the Myron Bachman Residence at 1244 West Carmen Avenue transforms a late 19th-century structure into a futuristic silver vessel clad in corrugated aluminum typically reserved for military Quonset huts. This 1947 renovation conceals original elements beneath its metallic skin while triangular windows pierce the gabled roof, creating an otherworldly presence in urban Uptown.
Perhaps Goff's most ambitious Illinois commission, the Ruth Van Sickle Ford House in Aurora, culminates his Chicago period with breathtaking theatricality. Designed for the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts director between 1949 and 1950, this circular-plan residence features a sunken kitchen, curving fireplace, and a 70-foot gallery wall composed of anthracite coal rectangles interspersed with aquamarine cullet glass that casts ethereal watery light throughout the space. Quonset Hut ribs painted vivid orange-red form both interior lattice and exterior structure, creating a beacon of artistic defiance so provocative that the owners famously posted a sign reading, "We don't like your house either."
Preservation efforts remain crucial as Chicago recently lost Goff's Frank Cole House to demolition. Architecture enthusiasts can pay homage at Graceland Cemetery, where Goff's ashes finally rested in 2000 beneath a curved triangular gravestone designed by former student Grant Gustafson. The monument incorporates cullet glass salvaged from ShinenKan, Goff's Oklahoma masterpiece destroyed by fire in 1996, ensuring his revolutionary spirit continues illuminating Chicago's architectural legacy.
