- The “ICE” House
Key Architectural Features
- Greek Doric columns
- Balustrade
- Finial
- Renaissance Revival style
- Pitched roof across front of house vs. lengthwise
- Greek Doric columns
It could be said it was the last grand Victorian house built on Logan Boulevard. Today, the address is 3024 West Logan, but it was 1531 Humboldt until 1910. A few years prior, in May 1908, William H. Rustman and his wife, Efka, acquired a 79-foot-wide by 166-foot-deep lot on the northeast corner of then-Humboldt and Whipple Avenue. In August of the same year, Efka was issued a permit for a two-story, $10,000 flat building.
The Rustman family probably wanted to replicate the most ornate buildings on Logan, including the ones they had lived in, which were built with Bedford stone façades. This light grey limestone had been used in Chicago since the 1870s. It was quarried near the town of Bedford in south central Indiana and had become the standard feature of Chicago’s boulevard system. Still, by 1908, architects had transitioned to brick as the preferred exterior material of the residences and flats along Logan, except at No. 3024.
The Rustmans hired architect John Ahlschlager, who lived in the neighborhood, to design their home. John Ahlschlager had trained under his brother Frederick until the latter’s untimely death in 1905. Together, Frederick designed and John supervised the construction of many dwellings, stores, flats and loft factories. Over a dozen of their structures survive throughout Logan Square.
Frederick was adept at designing churches, predominantly for German Lutheran denominations. Thus, John was well versed in high-pitched roofs, masonry ornamentation, and the general mixing of styles that was common in late 19th century American ecclesiastic architecture.
The architectural details of the building’s street view are many and varied, so it is impossible to categorize its style. With no immediate neighbors, there was no need for a semicircular front to expand the street views. Instead, the front could be relatively flat to showcase the many ornamental details.
The Neoclassical style can be seen in the front porch with its massive, but simple Greek Doric columns (1) (Covered entries at the top of stone stairways were a common feature along the boulevard, as were faux balconies above.) Cresting the entranceway is a hand-carved stone balustrade enlivened with an enormous ornamental design (2). Although it is the façade’s focal point, it could have been a stock item and not necessarily unique to this project.
Two non-symmetrical stone dormers continue the windows from below. Both are highly detailed, with the larger one, of course, receiving a fantastic finial (3). The balustrade at the attic level indicates another balcony, as do similar ones along the building’s sides. Dormers accented by stand-up details are found in Gothic Revival style buildings, while a façade broken by windows with pediments (here arched) (4) are characteristic of the Renaissance Revival style.
Surprisingly, the pitched roof runs across the front of the house (instead of front to back) (5), a feature not immediately apparent from street level. This creates a tall attic area that may have been used as a small ballroom. Behind this, the attic continues front to back. The green glazed roofing tile is original. The ornate copper gutters and downspouts are, too.
The Rustman(n)s
William H. Rustman (Rustmann) and his wife Efka J. (Efke, Effe, Eva) had emigrated from East Friesland in Germany in the 1870s. One flat would be home to them and their single daughter, Anna. Son John and his young family would live in the other flat. Other family members including their son, Jacob, had been living in separate apartments further east along Logan.
William was listed as an “ice hustler” in the 1880 U.S. Census. In 1887, John and Jacob joined William to incorporate the Jefferson Ice Company. It was first located at Homer Street and Campbell Avenue near Armitage and Milwaukee Avenues. When the property was purchased, John was president of the ice company, taking over for Jacob after he committed suicide at his office desk on January 5, 1906.
