Downtown Hinsdale Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Downtown Hinsdale Historic District
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The Hinsdale Memorial Building, the village hall and public library.
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly Bounded by Maple St., Lincoln St., Garfield St. and Second St. Hinsdale, DuPage County, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Architectural style | Late Victorian, Italianate, Queen Anne, Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Colonial Revival, Renaissance Revival, Commercial Style, Art Deco, Modern, Late 19th and 20th Century American Movements |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000011 |
| Added to NRHP | May 30, 2006 |
The Downtown Hinsdale Historic District is a special area in Hinsdale, Illinois. It includes seventy-three important buildings and one park. This district is recognized for its historical value.
Contents
Discovering Hinsdale's Past
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The town of Hinsdale was first planned by William Robbins in 1865. A new train station for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) soon brought many small businesses to the area. Most of these buildings were for shops. Some were for government use, like the Village Hall. Others were for transportation, and one was a theater.
The shops were built close together, mostly south of the train tracks. Government buildings, like the Village Hall and the U.S. Post Office, were built north of the tracks.
Making Hinsdale Beautiful
An article called "Hinsdale the Beautiful" inspired town leaders to make the city even prettier. Their first big project was a modern train station. It was designed by Walter Theodore Krausch and became a model for other stations. The area north of the tracks, including Railroad Park (now Burlington Park), was also improved.
In the early 1900s, more businesses wanted to open downtown. Some homes were even changed into shops. The large Hinsdale Theater was built in 1925. Big store chains like Loblaw, Jewel Tea Company, Piggly Wiggly, and Walgreens also moved in.
A Special Building for Heroes
In the 1920s, the city stopped a plan to build a huge car garage. Instead, they bought the land. They built the Memorial Building there to honor those who served in World War I. This important building was finished in 1927.
While some older homes in Hinsdale have been torn down, the downtown business area has mostly stayed the same. The oldest buildings are from the 1880s. They show styles like Late Victorian, Italianate, and Queen Anne. Later buildings from the early 1900s used Colonial and Renaissance Revival styles. After 1923, many new buildings used the Georgian Revival style.
Important Buildings in the District
The Downtown Hinsdale Historic District includes many buildings. Some are called "contributing structures." This means they are at least fifty years old and still look mostly like they did when they were built. They are a key part of the district's history.
Contributing Structures: A Few Examples
Here are some examples of important buildings in the district:
- Hinsdale Memorial Building (1927): This building is the Village Hall and public library. It was designed in the Georgian Revival style.
- Railroad Park (1877): This is a public park right next to the Hinsdale Memorial Building.
- Hinsdale Theater (1925): A beautiful Renaissance Revival style movie theater.
- Brush Hill Train Station (1898): This railroad station was designed by Walter Theodore Krausch in the Renaissance Revival style.
- United States Post Office Hinsdale, IL (1939–40): This post office was designed in the Georgian Revival style.
- Hinsdale Trust and Savings Bank (1910): A bank building designed in the Classical Revival style.
Buildings That Don't "Contribute"
Some buildings in the district are called "non-contributing structures." This means they are part of the area but are not as old or have been changed a lot. They don't add to the historical importance of the district in the same way.
Images for kids
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The 100 block of S. Washington. The Papenhausen building is on the far right.
