07/20/2026
As Spain revels in a World Cup championship and the Spanish Baroque Aragon Ballroom in Uptown celebrated its 100th anniversary this week, we have our own Spanish Colonial Revival centennial to recognize. On July 28th, the Frank Karge House at 9901 S. Seeley Avenue turns 100! In Chicago, Spanish-influenced architecture reached its peak about a century ago.
The Karge house was thought to be the Ridge’s sole residential design by the architects Michaelsen & Rognstad until the Ridge Historical Society identified another one recently (more on that later in this post). The firm, a partnership of two Norwegian-American Chicago architects formed in 1920 and based on the near west side, mirrored the rise and fall of the Jazz Age.
Although construction in the 1920s initially started off slowly as the country shook off the economic effects of WWI and the Spanish Flu pandemic, the malaise didn’t last. Like the irrational excitement in the stock market, the investment and building boom fueled increasingly exuberant designs.
Jazz Age design is theatrical, energetic, and flamboyant, and Michaelsen & Rognstad built some of Chicago’s most fanciful examples. Their most recognizable work includes the On Leong Merchant's Association Building (1926), Midwest Athletic Club (1926), North Side Auditorium (1927), Austin Town Hall Field House (1927), West Park Commission Headquarters (1927), Humboldt Park Field House (1927), and East 7th Street Hotel (1930).
Their designs spanned architectural styles and mixed them to great effect. According to now-retired City of Chicago Cultural Historian Tim Samuelson, “Michaelsen & Rognstad were the best firm of Norwegian architects ever to design a Chinese building,” referring to the iconic On Leong Merchant’s Association Building in Chicago’s Chinatown.
Sadly, it wasn’t just the Depression that ended their streak. Suffering a stroke in 1930 at just 38 or 39 years old, partner Sigurd A. Rognstad (1892–1937) never designed for the firm again. Christian S. Michaelsen (1888–1960) continued his career, but the Depression greatly curtailed his opportunities.
As mentioned earlier, the residence designed by Michaelsen & Rognstad celebrating a centennial this week is the Frank Karge House at 99th & Seeley Avenue, built for a stone cutter and dealer of Indiana limestone. As we often see with houses built around this time, Frank and his wife Clara likely sold or lost the house during the Depression.
The Michaelsen & Rognstad-designed residence that was recently identified by RHS is the Charles Herman Schmidt house (1929), located at 10334 S. Hoyne Avenue. Frank Karge and Charles Schmidt were likely close friends or associates. Both of them moved to Beverly from near Marquette Park and were involved in the Marquette Park State Bank. Charles was a painter and decorator, and he was also in automobile sales. Later, professional baseball player and automobile dealer Tony Piet owned the house. Last year, the current owners were excited to learn about how their home is part of the architectural legacy of Michaelsen & Rognstad.
For more on Michaelsen & Rognstad, check out this post by historian Julia Bachrach: https://www.jbachrach.com/blog/2019/10/31/michaelsen-amp-rognstad-architects-of-fanciful-jazz-age-buildings
Both houses are in the Ridge Historic District, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. To explore more of our area's architectural legacy, visit the Ridge Historical Society at 10621 S. Seeley Avenue on Tuesdays and Sundays from 1-4 PM to see the current exhibit featuring Mati Maldre’s photography of the historic district. His book, The Architecture of Chicago’s Beverly Hills / Morgan Park, can be pre-ordered from the publisher now ahead of its release on July 28th:
https://beltpublishing.com/products/the-architecture-of-chicagos-beverly-hills-morgan-park
Or, locally from Bookies:
https://www.bookiesbookstores.com/item/UYsPf24r-ZTR7neJCPL8yw
A book launch and signing event with Mati Maldre will be held at Bookies (10324 S. Western Ave) on Saturday Aug 1st, 2026, from 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM:
https://www.bookiesbookstores.com/events/5768820260801
Note: The July 28th centennial date for the Frank Karge house is based on the final inspection date listed on the permit.
