Berwyn resident James Bond’s infatuation with bungalows began as a child, staring in awe at the homes that lined his paper route in Chicago.

But when he went to buy one of the homes as an adult, Bond said he found the price, value and quality of bungalows in Chicago could not compare to those in Berwyn. So three years ago, the lifelong Chicago resident moved out to the near west suburb.

Bond’s 1927 bungalow at 2301 Elmwood Ave. in Berwyn since has been featured in American Bungalow magazine, and this year will be one of five homes highlighted on the Berwyn Historical Society’s third annual Bungalow Tour in June.

“It was a childhood dream of mine to own a bungalow someday,” Bond said. “I was shocked to realize how stunning and beautiful the bungalows are and what an impression the architecture and domestic tranquility innate within their design made on me. There’s a real class and substance to them, and I think the charm and quality touches on a period of my childhood.”

Trent and Beverly Weable own another of the tour’s featured bungalows for this year, which are all within walking distance of each other. Trent Weable, also a former Chicago resident, moved to the city shortly after Bond did, and for similar reasons.

“We knew we wanted a Chicago brick bungalow, but we started looking in the city and prices were outrageous,” Trent Weable said. “We never realized all the housing stock that was here in Berwyn, where a majority of home are bungalows. The pricing were better, and the homes were beautiful.”

Weable is trying to restore his home, at 2525 Ridgeland Ave., to the way it might have appeared when it first was built in Berwyn in 1918, down to installing toilets dating back to 1914 and pedestal sinks made in 1926.

“You don’t find the craftsmanship and woodwork in new homes like you do in bungalows,” Trent Weable said. “These houses are built so well they’ll last until the end of the earth, and you can’t find houses built this way anymore. They were the affordable house for the common man, but they have a level of comfort that appeals to people and a certain class style that a lot of people still appreciate.”

Bond and Weable said they hope the tour can open other people’s eyes to the bungalow style and increase awareness of the quality of Berwyn’s housing stock.

“Some of the homes in Berwyn are so spectacular and ... I hope there’s a renaissance and discovery of Berwyn’s rich untapped depository of bungalows,” Bond said. “I hope that other homeowners could find as rich happiness in the bungalows as I have in owning mine.”

Bond furnished his home with period furniture, and said he hopes his bungalow celebrates philosophy of simplicity and value he thinks was integral to their construction.

“The bungalow represents the perfect family domicile, working class values and a honesty of design that’s not ostentatious,” Bond said. “At the time these were made, they captured the American Dream in a way that may not be attainable in today’s economy — a proud and functional design with timeless beauty, subtle little details and great taste. When you see those details coming together, it’s like a great recipe in a restaurant; you can’t put your finger on what it is, but it’s rich.”

TOUR THE BOND HOME

TOUR THE WEABLE HOME