John Van Bergen Bio

From its beginnings, Oak Park’s roots have been intricately intertwined with those of the city of Chicago.  So too were the people of both communities connected to each other in the latter half of the 19th century.  The growth of Oak Park, Illinois directly reflected that of Chicago.  They shared a common history. 
          The founders of both towns were ambitious, whether working class immigrants, middle class farmers, urban dwellers escaping from the congestion of the eastern cities, or the already wealthy, who saw Chicago as a new opportunity to exploit, and become wealthier still.  Chicago grew steadily from the 1840’s through the 1870’s.  Then in 1871, the sparks of the Great Chicago Fire seemed to ignite an even greater flurry of economic and industrial growth.  The devastation of the fire created a blank slate, and expanding economic opportunities beckoned. 
          There was a great need for new buildings to support this rapid new growth and many talented architects were there, ready to fill this need.  They had names like Jenney, Burnham, Root, Adler and of course Sullivan.  They were the leaders of what came to be known as the “Chicago School” of architecture. 
          This first group spawned a second generation of builders which became known as the “Second Chicago School” or “Prairie School” of architecture and included in their leadership; Wright, Spencer, Purcell, Elmslie, Schmidt, Garden, Perkins, Griffin, Mahony, and Maher.  This group in turn established the direction of 20th century architecture and influenced a next generation to carry on the tradition now established, and to continue its evolution.  This next generation included John S. Van Bergen.