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"A National Register listing is an honor bestowed upon our most
significant historic places," said Robert Coomer, director of the
Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which administers the
National Register program in Illinois. "These properties make us
justifiably proud of our heritage in Illinois." The four Route 66
properties were formally listed on May 5. In addition, the National
Park Service listed five other historically significant properties
in Cook and Lake Counties on May 12.
Ariston Cafe, 413 Old Route 66, Litchfield, Montgomery County
The Ariston Cafe, constructed in 1935, reflects the influence of
the Art Deco style. The original owners, Pete Adam and Tom Cokinos,
were experienced in the restaurant business. Keenly aware of the
importance of location, the partners saw an opportunity when Route
66 was established, and they hired contractor Henry A. Vasel to
construct a building along the route.
By 1940, the traffic on Route 66 had become so congested that a
four-lane bypass was constructed one block to the west. To link the
business to the new highway, additional signage was installed at the
rear of the building to advertise the cafe. The Ariston continues to
be a popular restaurant for locals and Route 66 enthusiasts along
this section of the highway.
Lou Mitchell's, 565 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, Cook County
Lou Mitchell's restaurant was established in 1923, and the
existing building was completed in 1949. Route 66 through Chicago
followed Jackson Boulevard west until it intersected with Ogden
Avenue. Lou Mitchell's Restaurant is located in a busy commercial
area one block west of Union Station and approximately 10 blocks
west of Grant Park, near Lake Michigan.
William Mitchell, the original owner of the business, named the
restaurant after his son, Lou. Over the years, Lou Mitchell's
Restaurant has developed a large and loyal following.
Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket, 645 Joliet Road, Hinsdale vicinity,
DuPage County
The Del Rhea's Chicken Basket was built in 1946 on the south side
of U.S. Highway 66. In the 1960s, Interstate 55 was constructed
directly south of the building and now forms its southern boundary.
Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket traces its history to a small lunch
counter established in the late 1930s inside a gas station owned by
Erwin "Irv" Kolarik. As Kolarik's restaurant business prospered, he
opted to do away with the automobile repair side of his operation
and transformed the two garage areas into dining room facilities.
The Chicken Basket continued to grow in popularity, and in the
mid-1940s Kolarik purchased adjacent land to build a brand-new
restaurant. This 1946 building is the current restaurant, designed
by Chicago architect Eugene F. Stoyke.
Alternate Route 66, currently Illinois Route 53 between
Wilmington and Joliet, Will County
Designated as a national highway in 1926, Route 66 quickly became
the predominant vehicular travel route between Chicago and Santa
Monica, Calif. In Illinois, Route 66 extended from Chicago to
Springfield to St. Louis, and by the 1940s the corridor carried more
traffic than any other long-distance highway in the state.
Alternate Route 66 from Wilmington to Joliet begins in downtown
Wilmington and continues to the Interstate 80 interchange in Joliet.
Much of the highway is lined with farm fields, but residential
development is increasing along the route. This road segment
reflects the transportation history of the area and the state and is
an excellent example of two-lane design standards from 1926 and
later four-lane divided highway standards from 1945.
Bohemian National Cemetery, Chicago, Cook County, roughly bounded
by Foster, Pulaski, Bryn Mawr and Central Park Ave.
The founding of the Bohemian National Cemetery in 1877
established a trend throughout Bohemian communities in the United
States, resulting in the formation of other ethnic cemeteries in
Baltimore, Md.; Omaha, Neb.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Chippewa
County, Wis. The initial 50-acre cemetery was designed by John V.
Benes, a local building contractor and cemetery association
delegate, who laid out the cemetery in a plan similar to the larger
grid plan of the Chicago area.
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In 1902, the purchase of an additional 60 acres resulted in an
expansion of the cemetery. This expansion was designed by August
Petrtyl, a classically trained artist and illustrator who owned a
decorating firm in Chicago. Petrtyl's plan featured curving roads
and organically shaped lots, while continuing the east-west road
system of the original plan into the new area. In 1905, the
association commissioned famed landscape architect Jens Jensen to
prepare plans for additional acreage to the north. Incorporated into
the evolving plan of the cemetery are a Late Gothic Revival main
gatehouse, a Classical Revival administration building, a
Renaissance Revival crematorium and secondary support structures,
along with numerous mausoleums, public monuments and grave markers
representing a variety of architectural styles.
The Bohemian National Cemetery brings together a remarkable blend
of historical circumstances, immigrant American pride, and important
art, architecture and landscape design.
Meekerville Historic District, Chicago, Cook County -- 303 Barry
Ave.; 325, 303-341, 344 Wellington Ave.; 340 Oakdale Ave.
Historically, the area between Belmont Avenue on the north,
Lincoln Park on the east, Diversey Parkway on the south and Sheridan
Road on the west was called "Meekerville," after Arthur Burr Meeker
Sr., the area's first resident. Meeker was an employee of meat
packing magnate Philip D. Armour.
Meeker's tract was eventually subdivided, and the first residents
represented some of Chicago's elite, including the first- and
second-generation wealth of the Armours, Montgomery Wards,
Florsheims, Cudahys and Oscar Mayers. The houses in the district
were designed by Chicago architects Charles A. Platt, Howard Van
Doren Shaw, Mayo & Mayo, Rissman & Hirschfeld, E.H. Frommann, and
Frederick Lindquist.
The Meekerville Historic District is an intact cluster of
surviving period revival houses from the 1910s and 1920s that
signify an important social aspect of Chicago's upper middle class
and their migration, in the early 20th century, north along Lake
Shore Drive.
Deerpath Hill Estates Multiple Property Designation, Lake Forest,
Lake County -- 301 and 380 Chiltern Drive, 965 Castlegate Court
Deerpath Hill Estates is an English Garden development in Lake
Forest. Beginning in 1926, developer Henry K. Turnbull and his
architect, Stanley D. Anderson, developed the first planned
subdivision in Lake Forest, based on "City Beautiful" concepts.
Their design of curving streets and romantic cul-de-sacs followed
the original 1850s plan of east Lake Forest by Almerin Hotchkiss and
influenced by Olmstead and Vaux.
Deerpath Hill Estates is the first organized and developed
subdivision in Lake Forest where the developer controlled all
aspects of the development -- street design, house placement and
design, and landscaping. It consists of three sections platted
between 1926 and 1930. The Great Depression and financial
difficulties halted construction until after World War II. The final
development occurred between 1950 and 1961. Three properties within
Deerpath Hill Estates were listed in the National Register.
The Frank Hibbard Estate House at 301 Chiltern Ave. was
originally constructed in 1903 as part of a 21-acre estate
consisting of a house, gardener's cottage, tennis court and tool
shed. As part of the development of Deerpath Hill Estates, Turnbull
acquired the Hibbard Estate, subdivided it and developed it into the
Second Addition to Deerpath Hill Estates. The house was remodeled by
Stanley D. Anderson in 1929 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style
with an Arts and Crafts interior.
The 380 Chiltern Drive House is a French Norman style house and
is the only Stanley D. Anderson-designed house that was newly built
in the Second Addition. While the Hibbard Estate House reflected the
large-scale estate homes of the area, the 380 Chiltern House
represented the home sites envisioned by Turnbull and Anderson as
part of the Deerpath Hill Estates development and the coming
suburbanization of the area.
The 965 Castlegate Court House is located the southwest corner of
Castlegate Court and Burton Drive. This is a 1930 Colonial Revival
house, designed by an unknown architect, with a 1941 addition
designed by Stanley D. Anderson. The house at 965 Castlegate is the
only house built by developer Henry K. Turnbull that is outside of
the physical limits of Deerpath Hill Estates.
[Illinois
Historic Preservation Agency news release] |
