9. Dunham House, 1949

John and Dorothy Dunham were the original owners of this Ranch style house, constructed in 1949 by contractor Aaron Swanson for $27,000. Dunham was the president of Aurora Equipment Company. According to Swanson's son, the building was designed by a local architect from Geneva, William Gray. During construction of the house, Swanson stated that Gray employed two college students, Robert Mall and William Laz.

They later formed the firm Gray, Laz and Mall. Swanson stated that his father enjoyed working for architects, and that they constructed the rear addition to the Greene house around 1956. Characteristic elements of the Ranch style seen on this house include the single story height, horizontal emphasis, natural finished wood in the eaves, wide overhangs, and large windows.

Address

1405 West Downer Place
Aurora, IL 60505