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Welcome to Jerry's Christmas House!

Welcome to my Christmas House! I'm the fortunate current owner and caretaker, Jerry Ehernberger, and this is a brief story about my Christmas passion and the house that displays it. Thanks for your visit!

First, the house: It is in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, once a fashionable western suburb with a convenient commuter train line. Austin was annexed by Chicago in 1899. During the 1960’s Austin suffered serious “white flight” and nearly disappeared in the rubble. But a handful of residents were successful in creating an historic district and began an annual house tour that brought positive attention to the neighborhood (along with prospective new home-owners).

Austin was developed by architect Frederick Schock in the 1880-90’s. His own house (from 1886, fondly referred to as “The Castle”) became a model to show prospective clients his ability with different design styles. In 1887 Schock built a shingle-style house across the street and a half-block north for his mother, Marie, and featured the house and floor plans in the January, 1888, issue of Building Budget. Almost 100 years later I bought it.

About eight years before my big purchase I’d met someone who owned an enormous house in the area. We would often pass this house while walking his dogs. I would stop and wonder “what’s it look like inside?"

Well, be careful what you wish for! In 1992 a For Sale sign was staked in front and a realtor friend accompanied me to see the mysterious house. It was an eye (and nose) opening experience! While waiting outside on the front porch, we could smell the dog stench from the basement. Inside was filth beyond belief where several teenagers were sharing space with a colony of mice and innumerable one-inch roaches. The kitchen stove and wall tiles had disappeared beneath the brown grease; bedroom walls were splattered with ketchup and mustard. Tattered drapes were laced with cobwebs. Shag carpet lay somewhere beneath dust bunnies on steroids.

I fell in love with it immediately! I visualized the open banister draped with lighted garlands, lights around the big windows framing Christmas trees and displays in all the nooks and crannies. I made an offer and became a home-owner.

Beyond all the chaos was hiding an incredible house just waiting to live again: Marie’s House has a lot of great character without being snobbish, encouraging visitors to feel right at home. A sitting room with an exposed oak staircase. A parlor (where a gas fireplace was eventually restored). A pocket door leading into a formal dining room with a small screened-in porch. An official butler’s pantry! Four bedrooms and an attic where I could organize and store my collection.

I have worked on one room per year, tearing off old paneling and wall papers, patching miles of plaster cracks, attempting bold and colorful detailed painting, and stripping a lot of old varnish to expose beautiful oak wood. In July, 2005, I survived the traumatic experience of a complete roof tear-off, uncovering some major rotted wood. And in the spring of 2007 I had the entire west-side original cedar shakes replaced with new cedar shake panels, along with nine new windows on the second floor.

In recent years I’ve also sweated in the back yard, slowly turning the barren dandelion-infested clay and mud lot into a mini botanical garden. Working with the plants and flowers has been rewarding and very therapeutic!

I hope I don't mis-lead my readers into thinking all is perfect in Austin. Beyond the small Historic District is still a tough, lower-income inner-city neighborhood laced with a stubborn mindset. I have seen many improvements in my immediate area since my arrival in 1992 and I am grateful to be surrounded by terrific neighbors.

In 1999 four Schock houses were designated Chicago Landmarks, including mine. It doesn’t mean special tax breaks or financial assistance, but it is a wonder to live in a house with a plaque in the front yard!

(Continue to Page 2 via the link below labeled Christmas Past)

Chicago Landmarks/Schock Houses

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