HVAC Service in Prairie District, Chicago

Prairie Avenue was Chicago’s most fashionable address in the late 1800s, lined with the mansions of the city’s leading families. A handful survive, including the Glessner House, and the area is a designated Chicago Landmark district.

Around the historic homes, the neighborhood has filled with townhomes, mid-rise condos and towers built since the 1990s.

Historic homes here often heat with boilers and radiators, while the newer townhomes have gas furnaces and central air and the condos have heat pumps or fan coils.

Exterior changes near the historic district are reviewed carefully, so equipment placement is a real consideration for owners of older buildings.

Townhomes here are typically tall and narrow, with the furnace on the lowest level and bedrooms three floors up. A second system or zoning for the top floor is common, and roof-deck condensers need clearance and regular cleaning to keep up in July.