Villa Avenue station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Villa Avenue Train Station
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Villa Avenue's former CA&E station
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 Location in Chicago metropolitan area
Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 220 South Villa Avenue Villa Park, Illinois |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1929 |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 86001480 |
| Added to NRHP | August 22, 1986 |
The Villa Avenue Train Station is a special building in Villa Park, Illinois. It used to be a train station for the Chicago Aurora and Elgin Railroad (CA&E). It was also an office for a gas and electric company. This old station is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it's home to the Villa Park Historical Society Museum.
A Look Back in Time
This station was built between August and November 1929. It replaced two smaller waiting rooms in Villa Park. The building had two main parts. One side was for train passengers. The other side was an office for the Western United Gas and Electric Company.
Both the train company and the gas company were owned by a businessman named Samuel Insull. Real estate agents would even offer free train rides to the station. This was to show people properties in the area.
The station was right across from the American Ovaltine factory. This factory was the biggest employer in the village. Villa Park became the train line's biggest customer for people traveling to work.
The Villa Avenue Train Station closed on July 3, 1957. This happened because the CA&E railroad was not doing well. On August 22, 1986, the station was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Today, the station is the main building for the Villa Park Historical Society Museum. It is one of only four CA&E stations that are still standing. You can find it along the Illinois Prairie Path. This path was built where the old CA&E train tracks used to be.
What it Looks Like
The building was designed by Arthur U. Gerber. He was the architect for Samuel Insull's companies. The station is a single-story building. It measures about 28 feet wide and 104 feet long.
The waiting room and the entrance area have a gable roof. This means the roof has two sloping sides that meet at a ridge. The roof also has a limestone chimney and special shingles. The frames around the windows and doors are made of wood.
The walls are built with wood, stucco, and limestone. The south side of the building has a 4-foot limestone wall. It is topped with two rows of limestone blocks. The west side has a stone-arched window. This window has small bars that divide the glass.
The east side of the building has three tall, square windows. The three gables (the triangular parts of the wall under the roof) are decorated. They have a style called "half-timbered" with stucco.
See also
- Ardmore Avenue Train Station, another surviving CA&E station in Villa Park
