Early 1870s Two Story Second Empire House

This two story Second Empire house in Hyde Park is among the earlier examples of this style in the city, having been built in the early 1870s, and appearing on the Compton and Dry map. When Second Empire architecture was first introduced in the city in the late 1860s and early 1870s, almost all examples were fairly large three story mansions, with this being one of the only surviving examples of a two story house in the style that appears on the Compton and Dry map from 1875. At the time of its construction, Hyde Park was a mixed income neighborhood that was mostly settled by German immigrants who had founded the neighborhood as an independent town in 1844 before the city annexed it in 1855. Many of the wealthy residents built mansions in the neighborhood, and the working class and middle class residents also built their houses within a fairly close proximity to the mansions of the neighborhood. The area continued to thrive until after World War II, when residents began to move further west, and into the suburbs. The neighborhood declined during the mid 20th century, and many of its historic structures fell into disrepair, until revitalization efforts saved some of them in the 1980s. However, the efforts were not very successful, and it hasn’t been until the past decade that another revitalization attempt has been made, which is still in progress. However, despite its struggles, Hyde Park has retained a large number of its historic buildings, including several early examples of Second Empire architecture.