How to Research Your MCM Home
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1
Village / City Hall — Building Department
Request building permits for your address. Permits often list the original owner, builder, and sometimes the architect. Many south suburban municipalities hold records back to the 1950s–60s. Call ahead to ask about hours and any copy fees.
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2
Cook County Clerk — Deed Records
Chain-of-title searches reveal every owner since original construction. The Cook County Clerk's office has an online search at cookcountyclerkofcourts.org. Original deed often names the developer or architect-builder.
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3
Newspapers.com & Chronicling America
Search your address or the original owner's name. Local south suburban papers (Homewood-Flossmoor Star, Daily Southtown, Chicago Tribune) regularly ran neighborhood news, real-estate ads, and home-of-the-week features that described new MCM builds. newspapers.com (subscription) has extensive south-suburban coverage.
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4
Ancestry.com — Census & City Directories
City directories from the 1950s–70s list residents by address with occupations. Cross-referencing original owners in census records can reveal their professional networks — useful for identifying unknown architects. ancestry.com (subscription; free at many libraries).
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5
Art Institute of Chicago — Ryerson & Burnham Libraries
The Ryerson Library holds architectural drawings, firm records, and photo archives for many Chicago-area architects. Free to access by appointment. Especially valuable for Keck & Keck, Edward Dart, Bertrand Goldberg, and Paul Schweikher projects. artic.edu/library
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USModernist.org — Architect & House Database
National repository of MCM architects and documented houses. Search by architect name for project lists, biographies, and archival photos. Invaluable for confirming attributions. usmodernist.org
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7
ChicagoCollections.org — Regional Photo Archives
A consortium of Chicago-area institutions sharing digitized photos, maps, and documents. Search for your community or street name to surface mid-century construction-era imagery. chicagocollections.org
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8
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA)
Check whether a property is listed on the Illinois Historic Register or the National Register of Historic Places. Registration files contain detailed architectural descriptions and historical significance statements. Illinois SHPO
Always check the SoCoMCM master database before starting research on a property — someone may have already gathered permits, deeds, or photos. Contact robinjarrett1@gmail.com to get access to the shared research spreadsheet.
Key Online Resources
USModernist.org
National MCM architect and house database with biographies, project lists, and archival photos.
Ryerson & Burnham Libraries
Art Institute of Chicago. Architectural drawings and firm records for major Chicago-area MCM architects.
ChicagoCollections.org
Consortium of institutions sharing digitized Chicago-area historical photos, maps, and documents.
Newspapers.com
Digitized south-suburban papers including the Homewood-Flossmoor Star and Daily Southtown. Subscription required.
Chronicling America
Library of Congress digitized historic newspapers. Free and searchable. Best for pre-1960 coverage.
Ancestry.com
Census records, city directories, and vital records. Free at most public library branches with your library card.
Illinois SHPO
State Historic Preservation Office. Check registration status and access nomination documents for listed properties.
Cook County Clerk
Deed and property records online. Essential for tracing original ownership from the construction era.
Books
Julius Shulman: Modernism Rediscovered
Essential visual survey of American MCM residential architecture through Shulman's iconic photography.
Modern in the Middle: Chicago Houses 1929–75
The definitive regional reference. Documents Chicago-area MCM residential work including south suburban examples.
How to Read Modern Buildings
Accessible guide to identifying architectural styles, materials, and features in modern buildings.
A Field Guide to American Houses
Comprehensive house-type identification guide with diagrams. Useful for dating and classifying MCM variants.
House Histories: A Guide to Tracing the Genealogy of Your Home
Step-by-step guide to researching the history of a house through deeds, maps, and local records.
The Old House Journal Guide to Researching the History of Your House
Practical handbook covering permit records, insurance maps, newspapers, and other primary sources.
Keck & Keck in the South Suburbs
George Frederick Keck & William Keck
Brothers George Frederick and William Keck were pioneers of solar-conscious design and prefabricated modernism. Their "House of Tomorrow" at the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago introduced the American public to the MCM aesthetic — a 12-sided glass-and-steel dodecagon that was radically futuristic. The Kecks went on to design dozens of residences across the Chicago south suburbs, with the heaviest concentration in Flossmoor and Olympia Fields. Many Keck homes feature their signature solar overhangs — designed to block summer sun while admitting winter light — and open-plan interiors with clerestory windows. Keck & Keck homes in the SoCoMCM database are among the most documented and photographed properties in the collection. If you suspect you have a Keck home, the Ryerson Library holds the firm's archive including original drawings and correspondence.
Ready to Start Researching?
Join the SoCoMCM group to access the full property database, share your findings, and connect with other researchers documenting Mid-Century Modern architecture across the south suburbs.
Contact the Group