Ridge runs the length of the city — and the housing changes block by block.
Ridge as a roofing corridor
Ridge Avenue runs the length of Evanston, and the housing along it changes character every few blocks. South Ridge has dense early-1900s frame houses. Central Ridge has larger Foursquares and Prairie homes. North Ridge has Tudor revivals and English cottages. The Ridge Historic District covers most of the corridor and requires COA review for any visible roofing change.
What the housing stock needs
Almost everything: standing-seam metal on contemporary infill, real slate restoration on Ridge District landmarks, designer asphalt on the Foursquares and Prairie homes, and a steady stream of flat-roof work on the multi-flats that line several Ridge blocks.
The traffic question
Ridge is a four-lane arterial, and dumpsters do not belong in the right-of-way here — they stage in the driveway or the alley behind. Ask how a contractor plans to stage; the ones unfamiliar with the corridor miss it.
Working with the Ridge District commission
The Ridge District has its own preservation guidelines — slightly more permissive on material substitution than Lakeshore, slightly more particular about color. Ask whether your contractor can cite Ridge-district COA precedents in the application — and read how the permit and review process runs before you set a schedule.