Illinois properties listed in National Register of Historic Places

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Eight properties in Illinois were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in August by the National Park Service, a designation that places them on the nation's most prestigious list of places with historical significance.

 

            "A National Register listing is an honor bestowed upon our most significant historic places," said Robert Coomer, director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA), which administers the National Register program in Illinois.  "These properties make us justifiably proud of our heritage in Illinois."

 

 

            These three parks are locally significant as part of an early 20^th century movement to create breathing spaces with recreational facilities throughout Chicago. 

            Grand Crossing Park on Chicago's south side was developed in 1914.  South Park Commissioners had hired famed landscape designers the Olmsted Brothers in 1911 to design the park, but their plans were not followed and in-house designers instead created a landscape and field house nearly identical to Trumbull Park, which was conceived at the same time. 

            Thomas Jefferson Memorial Park was formed in 1921 when the Jefferson Park District moved an 1880s residence onto newly-acquired land to serve as a field house.  A new field house and improvements designed by prominent Chicago architect Clarence Hatzfield were added in 1930, and when the new Chicago Park District was formed in 1934 Jefferson was one of the parks consolidated into the new district.

            The northwest side Eugene Field Park was established in the early 1920s and landscape architect Henry J. Stockmans was hired to prepare a plan that would take advantage of the picturesque site along the Chicago River.  In 1928 architect Clarence Hatzfield designed a Tudor Revival style field house for the park.  Field was one of 22 neighborhood parks that were consolidated into the new Chicago Park District in 1934. 

 

 

            The development of Deerpath Hill Estates represents the planned growth of Lake Forest and the Skokie Valley beginning in the 1920s.  The curving streets and romantic cul-de-sacs followed the original 1850s plan of east Lake Forest, and it is the community's first subdivision where the developer controlled all aspects of street design, house placement and design, and landscaping.  The historically significant homes in the district were built between 1926 - 1930 and 1950 - 1961 and represent a variety of architectural styles.  The historic district is roughly bounded by Northcliffe Way, King Muir Road and Waukegan Road (Route 43).      

 

 

            This church and connecting education building at 1106 Chestnut Street were designed by prominent American architect George Elmslie and completed in 1929 and 1930, respectively.  The church is significant for its combination of revival and modern architectural styles.  Many of its Gothic design elements are reminiscent of English country churches, while its horizontal lines, use of natural materials, and art glass are typical of  Prairie School structures from the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

 

 

            The Barber-Colman Company was one of Rockford's largest machine tool design ands manufacturing firms and maintained its world headquarters at this site until 1982.  The structures in the historic district on the west bank of the Rock River about two miles from downtown Rockford were built between 1907 and 1948.  Barber-Colman built industrial machines and machine parts that influenced how vast numbers of products were produced.  The factory complex contains an outstanding concentration of buildings that illustrate the evolution of 20^th century industrial architecture.

 

 

            The land for Lowell Park was donated in 1906 by local philanthropist Carlotta Lowell, who hired world-renowned landscape architects the Olmsted Brothers to design a public space of scenic beauty.  The park's design reflected the contemporary City Beautiful Movement espoused by America's prominent landscape architects.  The park has also become well-known for its association with Ronald Reagan, who was employed there as a lifeguard for several summers.

 

 

            This 1880 church at 102 Main Street in the small Pike County community of Perry is a good example of the Carpenter Gothic style.  Gothic Revival style buildings were popular in the United States from the 1840s through the 1880s, and when these buildings were constructed of wood with wood ornamentation they became known as Carpenter Gothic.  The Church of Christ features such typical elements of this style as board-and-batten construction, Gothic-arched openings, repeating patterns of raised wood trim, and an emphasis on vertical lines.