Chicago Landmarks
 

Soldiers' Home

35th Street Elevation, photo by Bob Thall     Address: 739 E. 35th St.
Year Built: Built in phases, between 1864 and 1923
Architect: William W. Boyington
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: April 16, 1996

Soldiers' Home, circa 1865 Chicago's last surviving building with a direct association to the Civil War, Soldiers' Home was constructed at the edge of the Camp Douglas prison camp through the efforts of a women's group. During the war, it was a hospital for convalescent soldiers; following the war, it served as a home for disabled Union Army veterans. The building's earliest sections were designed in an Italianate style by William W. Boyington, the architect of the Old Chicago Water Tower. The structure has had several additions since then, most of them surrounding a common light well.