The Carl Vogt Building

The Carl Vogt Building. 6811 Hickory Street. , It is currently believed that this large, two-story brick and limestone structure was built approximately 1865 by John Lewis or his brother Allen Cleveland Lewis in the Italianate style (which was popular during the 1850s to 1880s). This house was an anomaly in its day, since it was far larger than any other home in the area, and was constructed of brick at a time when all the other structures in the Village of Bremen (now Tinley Park) were of frame (wood) construction. , , Collectively the Lewis brothers owned over 5,000 acres in the surrounding areas of both Cook and Will counties. John Lewis was known to have invested in railroads, and it is possible that this influenced the location and the building materials used to construct the home. The limestone likely came from Joliet and brickwork from Blue Island, both on the Rock Island and Pacific Railroad line. At the time of construction, the only two ways through the Village of Bremen were Batchelor Grove Road (now Oak Park Avenue) and the railroad, and this impressive home was located at their crossroads. John Lewis transferred ownership of the property to his brother Allen in 1866, who in turn sold it to Gerhard Bomhoff, Carl Vogt's father-in-law in 1868. It is not believed that either of the Lewis brothers kept permanent residence in the home, but likely used it occasionally as a hunting lodge. , , John Lewis died in 1874, and left the bulk of his $350,000 estate to his brother Allen. Upon Allen Cleveland Lewis' death in 1877, his estate was valued at $600,000. Allen Cleveland Lewis left instruction that his estate was to be invested until it had grown to $800,000, at which point a trade school, the Lewis Institute, was to be established. The school was opened in 1896, and merged with the Armour Institute in 1940, forming the current Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). , , After owning the building for just 4 years, Mr. Bomhoff transferred ownership to Carl Vogt in 1872. Carl Vogt and his family continued to live there until 1899 when it was sold to Martha E. Bettenhausen. According to family lore, she had sewn $2,500 in gold coins into the lining of her petticoats as a precaution against thieves on her journey to Chicago to purchase the property. Her descendants, the James Fulton family and heirs, including former mayor and village trustee Kenneth J. Fulton and his brother Ron were born at the house and owned the building until 1987. , , The basement of the building has been used as a stable, a soda pop bottling plant, and electrical contractor's office. The upper floors were converted from a single home to four apartments some time after 1900. Other than the addition of bathrooms (either end of the wrap around front porch) and the two roof gables to allow greater light and ventilation to the attic, the exterior of the home has remained largely unchanged since its construction. The building was renovated for office uses in 1992. , , A local legend attributes this structure to Carl Vogt, who supposedly had it built in 1872 as a hotel or office building on speculation of a second railroad running from Chicago to Decatur, which would intersect the Rock Island line. However, plans for the railroad were abandoned due to the Great Chicago Fire of October 1871. What now seems fairly certain is that Carl Vogt was the first person, and the first German, that any local citizen remembered living in this large home and thus Carl Vogt has been incorrectly attributed to constructing this magnificent building.