Bungalow Additions Called 'Destructive' in #StopThePop Campaign

Chicago, IL - A viral Facebook campaign to #StopthePop has nothing to do with how much soda you should be drinking.

It’s about the city of Chicago’s attachment to iconic bungalows, and why you shouldn’t build modern additions on the top level.

A petition on Change.org to support “sensible second story additions” has garnered nearly 1,000 signatures as of Wednesday evening.

“These 'bad' additions, aka 'pop tops,' destroy the architectural/aesthetic value of homes and streetscapes, as well as neighbors' property values,” according to the petition. “The inferior materials and methods used are short-lived and structurally overwhelming; a complete contrast to bungalows themselves, which were built to last for many decades.”

The practice was described in the petition as “a destructive trend.”

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But one developer in particular, Adam Barrera of Welcome Home Chicago Properties, focuses specifically on additions made to Chicago bungalows, of which there are some 80,000 still standing in the city. Barrera told Chicago Tonight he is only listening to his clients when designing the additions.

“My feedback from my buyers is, ‘We want the master suite upstairs, and we want at least two bedrooms for our children,” he said. “As a developer, I pretty much have to build what my clientele wants.”

But the new-look development on classic Chicago homes “just doesn’t look right,” according to Johnny Schulte of the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association.

“It pretty much takes away from the character of the bungalow,” said Schulte, who noted there are other ways to expand on the homes without completely covering the front part of the second level.

“Adding a dorm or addition to the back half and setting back the addition….we are fine with that,” Schulte said. “Because when you chop off the whole attic, it really isn’t a bungalow.”