AUSTIN — One of Chicago’s oldest homes caught fire early Thursday, injuring a firefighter in the process.
The fire occurred at 631 N. Central Ave. with the roof suffering extensive damage, Fire Department officials said. The owner, civil rights attorney James Bowers, was asleep at home with his wife when the fire started. The couple managed to escape unharmed with their four cats, he said.
Two neighbors across the street say they saw fire from the top of the roof around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, lasting for roughly an hour.
Fire Department officials said one firefighter was hospitalized and is in good condition. No other injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is not yet known, officials said.
The home was built by abolitionist Seth Warner in 1869 and designated last year as a Chicago landmark.
Bowers said the home has some damage to the roof and water damage to the third floor. The family also lost some antiques and case files, he said. The home is temporarily uninhabitable due to smoke damage, but Bowers said he expects to restore it.
“I was happy to preserve it,” Bowers said. “After awhile, you learn it’s more about the process of meeting new people.”
Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, said he is relieved the home is still standing.
He worked with Bowers to establish the Warner House as a landmark in 2021, believing it is an important part of the neighborhood and city’s history as one of the 12 homes predating the Great Chicago Fire.
“This was a terrible disaster, but luckily nobody was hurt,” Miller said. “This building is so important to the community of Austin. James continues that great history.”
The Warner House was built on property that initially included a small farm and orchard and later was incorporated into the city as part of the Austin neighborhood. The home was turned into The Elms Resort for tourists who flocked to Chicago for the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. Between 1924-1979, it housed three different music academies.
Originally from Bloomington, Bower said he bought the home in 1985. He’s lived in the home since and has seen the neighborhood change over the years.
As a white man, his desire to move into a predominantly African American community that had been majority white raised eyebrows from his Black neighbors and other white colleagues, he said.
“I say it’s not about the neighborhood, it’s only about them. I have always loved this community,” he said.
Bowers said he believes the total cost to restore the home could be around $50,000. Bowers and Miller said insurance and funding thanks to the home’s landmark designation could lessen the burden.
Miller said he hopes the block can be designated as a landmark district and will lobby with 29th Ward Ald. Chris Taliaferro and neighbors to bring about the change.
Being a landmark in Chicago’s music scene was timely to Miller as The Warehouse, the birthplace of house music, was also designated as a landmark earlier this year.
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