3080 W. Palmer Square

Charles Sorensen had a natural affinity for architecture. Born in 1862, he was the son of a prominent Danish architect. He completed his studies in Denmark at 16, receiving a diploma for proficiency in draftsmanship. After working as a bricklayer in Sweden for a year, he came to America in 1879 and immediately settled in Chicago. Like many immigrants of the era, Sorensen had an entrepreneurial spirit, first purchasing an interest in an ice business, then opening a stationery store. But his love for building and design soon reemerged, and after three years, he sold his store and returned to bricklaying. He was soon sought out for independent work, and in the mid-1880s, opened his own architectural business.

Sorensen was a prolific architect. According to a professional biography published in 1900, he had approximately 300 buildings to his credit by the time he was 38, having been in business less than 20 years!

Sorensen’s works included a downtown hotel, stores, residences ranging from single-family homes to apartment buildings, and churches. He designed numerous buildings in the area east of Humboldt Park, between Division Street and North Avenue. Many of those neighborhood buildings remain, including at least one of the buildings where Sorensen lived, at the corner of Maplewood and Potomac Avenues. By the time of his death in 1916, Sorensen had moved further northwest, with an office at 3325 West Fullerton Avenue and a home in the Irving Park neighborhood.

Other than Logan Square’s Minnekirken, the most notable of Sorensen’s remaining works is the former Norwegian Lutheran Church located at the corner of Artesian and Potomac Avenues. Built in 1898 and threatened with destruction in recent years, the exterior of the beautifully detailed red-brick-and-stone church has been restored, and its interior renovated and repurposed as condominiums.

Christian Madson seemed to embody the American dream. Born in Denmark and having had only three years of formal education, he came to America in 1872 at age 19. He soon made his way to Chicago, where he worked as a common laborer until 1874, when he went to work in a wood planing mill, eventually becoming its foreman. From there, he went on to manage another planing mill and factory before starting his own wood molding business, Madson Manufacturing, with an investment of $500 in 1885.

Meanwhile, in 1884, Madson married Mary F. Ibsen, who had also emigrated from Denmark. Their two children, Walter and Alice, lived in the family home at 3080 Palmer into adulthood, until they married.

Madson’s business took off, and he soon expanded his small plant. After more growth, he built a three-story, 30,000-square-foot sawmill at 1812 North Austin Avenue on Chicago’s west side in 1891. That same year, he took on a partner, Christian L. Ibsen, who was not only an employee, but also Madson’s brother-in-law. The two men incorporated the business, establishing Madson & Ibsen Mfg. Co., which continued as a family business for many years. In 1905, the company added another 22,000 square feet of plant space, constructing a second three-story building on Austin Avenue. By 1917, the company had grown from a three-employee startup to a thriving enterprise with 50 employees.

Madson’s business acumen also displayed itself in his personal investments. When he purchased the property for his new home in 1907, he paid nearly $400 less than the seller had spent on it. In 1908 — a year before selling his home on Maplewood for $5,300 and while the Palmer Square home was still under construction — Madson purchased the parcel to the west for $1,750. And in 1910, the Madsons still had sufficient resources to build a brick two-flat residence on the neighboring parcel, No. 3100. Designed by nationally known architect Frank Osborn DeMoney, Madson’s second Palmer Square project cost an estimated $7,500.

Christian Madson left an estate valued at $250,000. At the time of his death in 1925, he and Mary were living at 3317 West Belden Ave., which was designed by T.J. Reynertson. Christian and Mary shared the new two-flat with their daughter, Alice M. Kinberg, after they sold their large Palmer Square home to another Danish immigrant in the building trades.

Walter and his wife lived briefly next door to his parents at No. 3100, but eventually moved further north and ultimately to Highland Park. Walter served as bookkeeper for Madson & Ibsen early in his career and continued the family business after his father’s death, creating a successor company, Walter E. Madson Co.

In the end, the story of 3080 Palmer Square is the story of the success of Christian Madson, who rose from poor, unskilled immigrant to wealthy businessman and provided for his children’s future success.