What do a prominent Chicago building contractor and a pharmaceutical company president have in common? They both built grand homes in Berger Park in the early 1900s. Today, we stand before one of those homes: the Berger Park South Mansion, originally known as the Downey House.
Joseph Downey, an Irish immigrant, built this magnificent American Foursquare home in 1906. He hired architect William Carbys Zimmerman, known for designing grand homes on Sheridan Road, including the nearby Conway House. Downey wasn’t just any homeowner. He was a partner in a successful contracting firm and had served as Chicago’s Commissioner of Buildings and Public Works. He was a man of influence and affluence, and his home reflected that stature.
The Berger Park South Mansion, like its neighbor to the north, transitioned through different hands. In the 1940s, the Viatorian Fathers, a Roman Catholic order, acquired both properties, using them to house student priests. Decades later, the Chicago Park District, recognizing the historical and architectural significance of these mansions, purchased them.
Today, the Berger Park South Mansion serves as a recreation center for the park, a testament to its enduring legacy. This beautiful building stands as a reminder of a bygone era, when grand homes graced Sheridan Road and men like Joseph Downey shaped the city’s landscape.