{"nrhp_refnum":"05000845","name":"Purple, George E., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"338 Sunset Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"LaGrange","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.80996522100003,"lon":-87.88385972399999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-08-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story single-family house with a matching coach house at 338 Sunset Avenue in LaGrange, Cook County, Illinois, built in 1928 and designed by Chicago architect William G. Carnegie.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a good local example of Italian Renaissance architecture under Criterion C. It has the style's characteristic features, including a low-pitched hipped tile roof, large eaves, and elaborate first-story windows. It is called likely the best surviving example of the style in LaGrange, with more ornament than comparable local houses.","narrative":"Built in 1928 at 338 Sunset Avenue in LaGrange, Illinois, this two-story brick house was designed by Chicago architect William G. Carnegie for George E. Purple, a co-founder of the Flexible Steel Lacing Company. Its L-shaped plan, buff brick walls, concrete trim, and green clay tile hip roofs with wide overhangs follow the Italian Renaissance style. Notable details include cast concrete relief panels above the front windows, brick quoins that alternate recessed and projecting bricks, and a leaf-patterned copper canopy over the driveway. A matching two-story coach house stands at the rear. The original steel windows, cherry wood floors, plaster moldings, and inlaid wood doors survive. The house was listed for its architecture, as a good local example of the style and probably the best in LaGrange, standing out from nearby homes through its level of ornament. Purple died in 1930, and his family kept the home until 1944.","period_of_significance":"1928","architect_builder":"Carnegie, William G.","architectural_style":"Italian Renaissance","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Currently used as a single-family dwelling; exterior and interior are described as retaining high integrity, with minor changes to secondary facades and some updated kitchen and bathroom spaces.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.470359-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/10/8920/28892010/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/05000845.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000845/ec5e233fe2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05000845/ec5e233fe2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"MrHarman","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Purple_House,_LaGrange_1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">MrHarman</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Purple_House,_LaGrange_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892010","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_E._Purple_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5538778"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/purple-george-e-house-05000845/"}