The pink house at 3403 Monroe St. in Bellwood is nearly 100 years old, according to property records. Soon, the village will demolish the structure to make way for new housing. | File
Tuesday, January 3, 2023 || By Michael Romain || @maywoodnews
It’s one of the oddest houses in the Proviso Township area that you’ve likely never seen unless you’re acquainted with the 3400 block of Monroe Street in Bellwood.
The one-story house at 3403 Monroe St. in Bellwood is painted pink, has an entrance facing the alley, is located behind a garage that faces the street (as opposed to the alley), and is nearly 100 years old.
It’s one of the most unusual residences in the Proviso area, and it’s coming down so the village can continue building homes from the ground up that are larger than the typical homes in Bellwood’s traditional postwar housing stock.
Bellwood Mayor Andre Harvey said the village purchased the house at 3403 Monroe and the garage and plans to build more of what Crain’s Chicago Business has dubbed “village hall-built homes.” The mayor said the home has been vacant for years.
“We’re trying to in-fill our vacant lots and eyesores and bring the community new homes,” Harvey said on Jan. 3, adding that the village has recently purchased a total of up to seven vacant lots and dilapidated homes that they plan to build on in the coming months.
The village has built more than two dozen new houses since it started the practice under former mayor Frank Pasquale in 2016.
According to property records, the unusual pink house at 3403 Monroe St. was built in 1925, making it likely older than most homes in the village. The village’s 2014 Comprehensive Plan shows that most of Bellwood’s housing stock was developed after World War II, which lasted from 1939 to 1945.
The home was built 25 years after the village was incorporated in 1900.
If you have more information on this interesting old home, feel free to reach out at: [email protected].
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