The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency is celebrating the addition of a number of Illinois landmarks to the National Register of Historic Places.
Thirteen buildings, eight historic districts and two archaeological sites made the cut.
While many people think a building has to have a role in history to be added, spokesman Chris Wills notes the register's addition features a mix of family homes, warehouses and government buildings.
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The building where President Abraham Lincoln made his farewell speech to Springfield, the Great Western Depot, is among the honorees.
The locations added are below:
COLLAR COUNTIES
David Hall House, Lake Villa
The David Hall House, designed by Chicago architect Ralph Wesley Varney, is an inventive melding of early 20th century revival and Art Deco styles. Art Deco was rarely employed for residential architecture, particularly since the style’s popularity generally shadowed the Great Depression when fewer new homes were constructed.
Elgin Downtown Historic District, Elgin
This area served as the community’s first major business center, from early shops of the 19th century to department and chain stores of the 20th. It also was the transportation and government heart of the community. The district contains a significant number of historic commercial structures.
William and Helen Coffeen House, Hinsdale
The Coffeen House and its coach house are outstanding works by master architect George W. Maher. Designed in 1899, they represent a pivotal period in the evolution of his Prairie School design. The house displays the simple unadorned forms and complex details in stained glass and carved wood that Maher was developing as hallmarks of his work.
COOK COUNTY
Oak Park Village Hall, Oak Park
Oak Park Village Hall played a key role in the village’s struggle to halt white flight. Oak Park received national attention for the way it inspired and sustained racial integration and demonstrated to other communities how to achieve a diverse mixture of white and black residents.
Portage Park Bungalow Historic District, Chicago
The Portage Park Bungalow Historic District is particularly notable for its high percentage of intact brick bungalows and beautifully cohesive streetscapes. This was one of the first areas in the neighborhood to be developed for single-family residences. A vast majority of the houses in the district were built in the 1920s, making this district particularly important as a reflection of single-family housing of that era.
Jesse L. Strauss Estate, Glencoe
The Jesse L. Strauss Estate is an excellent example of French Revival architecture. The house and historic garage/apartment were designed in 1921 and 1924 by David Adler, generally regarded as the region’s foremost country-house architect of that period. The Strauss House is Glencoe's only French Revival estate.
Polish National Alliance Headquarters Chicago
PNA Headquarters is an excellent and well-preserved example of an ethnic fraternal building and is important for the role it played in the social, cultural and political development of Chicago’s Polish community. The building served as headquarters for the nation’s largest Polish fraternal organization from 1938 until 1976.
DOWNSTATE
Heimberger House, Springfield
Built in 1915, the Heimberger House is a good example of an Arts and Crafts double-house. Even though it was a two-family home, it was built to resemble a single-family home with carefully disguised front and rear entrances. It boasts some of the most stylish features of the period, including multiple skylights and high-end Craftsman features, with an alluring street and interio
