Glen Ellyn Downtown South Historic District

Glen Ellyn Downtown South Historic District

Old Glen Ellyn Junior High School
Location Main & Duane Sts., Hillside Ave.
Glen Ellyn, DuPage County, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates 41°52′30″N 88°3′58″W / 41.87500°N 88.06611°W / 41.87500; -88.06611Coordinates: 41°52′30″N 88°3′58″W / 41.87500°N 88.06611°W / 41.87500; -88.06611
Architectural style Classical Revival, Late Gothic Revival, Tudor Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival
NRHP Reference # 13000717
Added to NRHP September 18, 2013

The Glen Ellyn Downtown South Historic District is a historic commercial district in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, United States. Most of the district's growth dates from the 1920s. The architecture reflects several trends in the first half of the 20th century.

History

Glen Ellyn, Illinois was first settled in the 1830s. Early commercial developments, such as Stacy's Tavern, catered to stagecoach lines. The Galena and Chicago Union Railroad opened a station in the undeveloped area in 1849. The Downtown North district began to develop on the north side of the tracks at this time. The earliest non-residential construction south of the tracks began in 1859 with the opening of the Duane Street School. In 1891, the settlement changed its name to Glen Ellyn in response to the development of the Glen Ellyn Hotel & Springs Company resort at a nearby lake. The resort improved the town's reputation as an idyllic suburb and encouraged growth.[1]

In the early 20th century, Glen Ellyn expanded quickly and began to expand its commercial district to the south side of the tracks. The Methodist Episcopal Church was completed at the corner of Duane Street and Forest Avenue in 1913; it was replaced in 1957. The first commercial building in the district was completed in 1923 for I. M. Block. In 1928, Piggly Wiggly opened a store at the corner of Main Street and Hillside Avenue in the Rohm Building. The largest development was the three-story Glen Ellyn Junior High School, which replaced the Duane Street School in 1929.[1]

Architecture

There are twenty buildings in the district, and all but one contribute to its historical integrity. The lone intrusion is a 1972 commercial block at 421 North Main Street.[1]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.