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Gunderson Builders
Seward and his brother George were the sons of Severt and Emily Gunderson. They became associated with their father in the lumber business in 1883 in the firm S.T. Gunderson and Sons. They manufactured sashes, doors, and moldings. A fire later destroyed the business in 1898. The next year, the Gundersons formed a new business partnership building homes and selling real estate. Their firm built several hundred homes from 1899-1925 in Chicago and Oak Park. Seward Gunderson spearheaded more of the building projects while his brother became a silent partner. According to a 1977 newspaper article, “Seward hired noted Chicago architect, Frank Osborn De Money, to design the homes and brought craftsmen from Norway to build them. He had a business school education and enough of the heart of a gambler to risk working with new construction concepts.” S.T. Gunderson and Sons, although not architects themselves, developed and built homes that reflected the time in which they were built. They were built with large front porches, built-in cabinetry, fine woodwork, built-in glasswork, and third floors that are easily converted from attics to living space. In Spring 2002, The Gunderson’s second Oak Park subdivision was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Oak Park’s third historic district. The district, built mostly during the years 1906-1910, encompasses Madison St. to Harrison Ave. and the east side of East Ave. to the west side of Ridgeland Ave.
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