Since the Eugene S. Pike House was built as a "gardener's cottage" in 1894, it has served as a residence for many people.
Eugene Pike's first business, before he ever moved to Chicago, was as a distributor of nursery plants. He imported fruit trees, rose bushes, and other plants from France. His business, largely with the southern states, was booming, until the start of the U.S. Civil War caused an end to that.
He then turned his attention to banking. He and his family moved to Chicago, where he also got into the real estate business. He was very successful with both. When he died his estate was worth over $3 million, about equal to $85 million today.
He bought land on the top of the Ridge, some of which he developed into homeowner sites for sale. He kept a piece of the land for himself, and eventually this became part of the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC), now known as Dan Ryan Woods.
His gardener's cottage, designed by architect H.H. Waterman, was built to be both ornamental and to serve a useful purpose. It housed several landscapers and gardeners while it was owned by the Pike family, and one of Pike's sons lived there for a while.
After the land and house were bought by the FPCC, it was used as a headquarters for FPCC area supervisors, then as a "watchman's residence." At least eight families lived there, and the research has just begun.
Here is an introductory article on the residents of the Pike House. Watch for more on this topic.
Those Who Have Called the Pike House “Home” – Part 1