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William Whitney House
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property
William Whitney House.JPG
William Whitney House is located in Illinois
William Whitney House
Location in Illinois
William Whitney House is located in the United States
William Whitney House
Location in the United States
Location 142 E. First St.
Hinsdale, DuPage County, Illinois, U.S.
Built 1869
Architectural style Late Victorian & Italianate
NRHP reference No. 89001731
Added to NRHP October 19, 1989

The William Whitney House, also known as the Hallmark House, is a historic and beautiful home in Hinsdale, Illinois. It was built in 1869 and shows off two cool styles of building: Late Victorian and Italianate. This house has a lot of history, especially with one of Hinsdale's important early leaders, William Whitney.

The Story of the Whitney House

Who Was William Whitney?

William M. Whitney was an important person in the early days of DuPage County, Illinois. He moved to Winfield in 1858. Just two years later, he was elected as the Circuit Clerk and Recorder for DuPage County. This job meant he kept important records and helped with court matters.

While working for the county, William Whitney also got involved in buying and selling land. He even helped plan out one of the first areas of Downers Grove. In 1867, he bought a house in Hinsdale and sold it a few years later for a lot more money.

How Hinsdale Became a Town

After making money, William Whitney moved into a brand new house on First Street in 1870. That same year, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. This is where laws are made for the state. During his time there, a new law was passed that made it easier for towns to become official cities or villages.

William Whitney quickly went back to Hinsdale. He gathered the signatures needed to ask for Hinsdale to become an official village. This request was approved in 1873, making Hinsdale an official town!

The House's Journey Through Time

The William Whitney House was actually built in 1869 for the Stodder family. William Whitney bought it a year later, in 1870. However, he lost a lot of money during a tough economic time called the Panic of 1873. Because of this, he had to sell his house in 1879 to pay his taxes.

Over the years, many different families have lived in this house. It even became famous when it was shown in a national TV commercial for Hallmark Cards. That's how it got its nickname, the "Hallmark House"!

On October 19, 1989, the house was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a special building that is important to history. Later, in 2008, it was also recognized as a key part of the Robbins Park Historic District.

What the House Looks Like

The William Whitney House sits on a large piece of land at the corner of First Street and Park Avenue in Hinsdale. It's a wooden house, mostly two stories tall. There's a smaller, one-story part at the back which was added in the 1950s as a kitchen.

A porch wraps around the front of the house and extends to the sides. The house has cool Italianate style features, like arched windows and fancy moldings under the roof. A garage for two cars was added in 1988.

On the front side of the house, there are three windows on the second floor, spaced out evenly. Near the main entrance, there are two tall windows that go almost all the way to the floor. The front doors are very tall, about 9 feet, and have rounded windows at the top. There are also other entrances on the sides of the porch. A brick chimney sticks up through the roof. The house also has a basement under most of it, with walls made of strong limestone blocks.

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