Cook County properties listed in National Register of Historic Places

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Three properties in Cook County were listed in the National Register of Historic Places this month 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 in Cook County, a hospital, woman's club and a private residence, make us justifiably proud of our heritage in Illinois."

 

 

            The Cook County Hospital Administration Building was constructed between 1912 and 1914 following several years of political intrigue that would continue as construction progressed.  The hospital complex also featured four six-story additions known as pavilions that opened in 1915 and 1917.  The eight-story Administration Building's unique look comes from the extensive use of decorative terra cotta around each door and window opening and in bands running the length of the structure.  The building is nationally significant for its association with the history of medicine and medical education; public health in Chicago and the nation; its importance to immigrants, minority populations and the poor; and as the site of numerous important medical breakthroughs.  It is also locally significant for its distinctive Beaux-Arts architectural style.  The hospital closed its doors in December 2002 when a new county medical center opened nearby. 

 

 

            The Woman's Club of Evanston building has been the organization's headquarters since it opened in March 1913.  The Woman's Club itself dates to 1889, and was founded to promote the "physical, social, mental, moral and spiritual development of its members."  The Dutch Colonial Revival style building is representative of the grand, spacious homes of the neighborhood before it was commercially developed, and is a large, two-and-one-half story, red brick building with steeply pitched roofs.  The Woman's Club building is locally significant for its role in the social history of Evanston, and has been recognized as a local landmark for its architectural significance.

 

 

            Charles H. Patten was instrumental in the Palatine and Barrington Water Works that brought water to both communities, was a prominent banker, and served as mayor of Palatine from 1894 - 1895.  In 1898 Patten hired the Chicago architectural firm of Julius Wegman & Son to design a new home on the family property in Palatine.  The Chateauesque and Queen Anne style house is a testament to the architectural, engineering, design and construction skill of local artisans who designed and built it.  There is no other house in Palatine of this size with such ornamentation and workmanship both inside and outside.  The house is locally significant for its architecture.