The Chicago Bungalow Association (CBA) is set to celebrate 25 years of helping owners of bungalows, including those in Beverly, preserve one of Chicago’s most iconic architecture styles.
Angela Pauldine, CBA director of communications, said the association has many events in the works to mark the milestone.
“We are really excited,” said Pauldine, who has worked with the association since 2015. “The Chicago bungalow itself as a housing style is around 100 years old, maybe more—and they were built to last even longer than that, as long as people maintain it, that is our priority.”
Over the years, CBA has provided workshops, how-to guides, design inspiration and grant support to help people maintain and restore their bungalows.
The association is planning a range of programming throughout the year. In June, it will host two “parkway planting” events—one in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood on June 6 and another in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood on June 13.
The events will offer hands-on demonstrations for residents seeking to beautify their neighborhoods with sustainable landscaping.
CBA also plans to host an online scavenger hunt this summer, partnering with local businesses for prizes. Additionally, organizers said book clubs will be held throughout the fall and winter.
Pauldine said the book club series will feature “The Chicago Bungalow Book,” originally published by the Chicago Architecture Foundation, and “Don’t Go: Stories of Segregation and How to Disrupt It,” co-written by Tonika-Lewis Johnson and Maria Krysan.
The CBA was inspired by former 19th Ward Ald. Virginia Rugai, who wrote her master’s thesis on “The Historic Chicago Bungalow Initiative.” CBA was launched in September 2000 by Mayor Richard M. Daley during a ceremony in Beverly.
“It is considered an iconic architectural style to Chicago,” Pauldine said. “Ever since we were founded in 2000, there’s been a lot of pride that homeowners take in owning a bungalow. We love helping them care for these homes.”
Each year, the CBA offers the Driehaus Bungalow Awards and Bungalow Garden Contest. Each contest aims to inspire and honor the creativity and efforts of bungalow homeowners to maintain and restore their homes.
The Driehaus Bungalow Awards were created in 2005 by the CBA, with the support of the Driehaus Foundation.
An annual juried competition, the Driehaus Bungalow Awards honor the creativity and efforts of homeowners for the work they’ve done in interior and exterior renovations, restoration and landscape design.
A panel of historic preservationists, real estate agents, professional gardeners and civic leaders select the winners across seven categories, and honorable-mention awards are also presented.
In 2024, Carlos and Cindy Garcia, of Beverly, earned first place in the 20th annual Driehaus Bungalow Awards in the category for Exterior Rehabilitation.
It was the Garcia’s family second year participating in the contest, and in the Dec. 11 issue of The Beverly Review, Carlos Garcia said winning the award was extra special as the home celebrated its centennial.
“We are glad that this bungalow is winning this award in its 100th anniversary of being built,” Garcia said. “We were really happy about that; it’s kind of a nice gift for the bungalow that will stay with the home if we should ever decide to move.”
Since 2017, the Bungalow Garden Contest has celebrated the hard work of homeowners while also directing attention to how gardens enhance a home’s architecture while promoting a healthier ecosystem.
Over the years, multiple contest winners have been homeowners from the 19th Ward. Pauldine said contest winners have helped to inspire other homeowners as they work to revitalize their homes.
“People browse past winners on our website and get ideas,” she said. “Not only do they see images of things they want to imitate, but we list the contractors and designers who were hired. It helps give people a hand on whom to call when getting started.”