536 Cherry

The house at 536 Cherry is the newest house on this tour, even though it was built over 50 years ago. Like its age (or lack thereof), its modern style stands out amongst the many Victorian and revival styles along this section of Cherry Street.

536 Cherry was built in 1973 and was designed by Edward J. Burnell, III, a noted local architect. Burnell was born in Evanston in 1939. That same year, his father, Edward Jr., started working at Booz, Allen, and Hamilton, a management consulting firm. Within three years, he was promoted to director, eventually rising the ranks to senior vice president. In the mid-to-late 1940s, the Burnells moved to Winnetka.

While his father found success in consulting, Burnell sought a different path and became an architect. He began working for the Palmer Group early in his career and in 1984, was named president of the company. While working at the Palmer Group, Burnell helped design several notable buildings, including the second Chicago Mercantile Exchange building (also known as the MERC building) at 444 West Jackson in 1972 and the skyscraper at 225 West Wacker in 1986.

A year after the MERC was completed, Burnell designed the house at 536 Cherry for his mother, Barbara. She lived in the house until 1987, when she sold it and moved to California.

Stylistically, this house has many of the characteristic elements of the modern styles that were popular in the latter half of the 20th century, including the flat rooflines, large windows, and minimal ornamentation. Aside from the walled garden, which was constructed sometime after 1987, the exterior of the house appears much as it did when Barbara Burnell lived in it.