Historic home built before Great Chicago Fire damaged in Austin blaze, CFD says

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Flames tore through a 154-year-old home in Chicago's Austin neighborhood Thursday morning.

The fire was in the 600-block of North Central Avenue. Chicago fire officials said two people were inside the home at the time of the fire, but fortunately they were able to safely escape.

Video shows firefighters working to put out that fire around 1:30 this morning on what looks like the top floor of the home.

One firefighter was taken to the hospital to be checked out and is expected to be OK.

"It was an intense fire and it burned very quickly and we're lucky they were able to save the building," said homeowner James Bowers. "I tried to put it out myself. I mean, just didn't have enough foam in the fire extinguisher."

The home damaged by the fire is actually one of the oldest homes in Chicago and a city landmark.

Known as the Seth Warner house, it was built in 1869 as part of a small farm that occupied the area at that time. It is named after Warner, who was one of Chicago's earliest settlers who was a blacksmith abolitionist and patron of the arts, according to the city. The home is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

It is considered a very rare home because it was built before the Great Chicago Fire, one of only 13 Chicago landmarks with that distinction.

Over the years it served as a hotel during Chicago's World's Fair and later as a music academy. It was awarded landmark status by the city in 2022.

But it was Warner himself that attracted civil rights attorney Bowers and his wife here 38 years ago.

"He was a friend of Fredrick Douglass. He invited Fredrick Douglass to speak at his music hall downtown Chicago where the Daley Center is in 1853," he said.

But it is not just this house that has a story. Several others on this block of Central Avenue between Ohio and Huron have tales to tell as well.

"We're on a really beautiful block in the Austin community with homes from the 1870's, 1880's and 1890's all around and we've always wanted to consider a Chicago Landmark District for this block and for some other significant streets nearby in Austin," said Ward Miller of Preservation Chicago.

And while it seems hard to believe today, Austin in the late 1880s was not even part of Chicago, evolving from rural settlements to a railroad suburb before becoming what it is now. The Warner house and others stand witness to all those changes. That's why, even after decades of constant renovations, Bowers said he will restore the home once more.

"The roof is going to have to be completely replaced. The rafters are all gone," he said. "The exterior is landmarked so any restoration work has to be done to their specifications."

It is precisely because of its landmark designation that the Bowers may be able to apply for a city grant that may be able to help, along with insurance, to recover the costs of an exterior repairs.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation.