{"nrhp_refnum":"06000375","name":"Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"645 Joilet Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hinsdale","county":"DuPage County","state":"IL","lat":41.74746501000004,"lon":-87.93953983099999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-05-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story brick restaurant at 645 Joliet Road in Hinsdale, DuPage County, Illinois, built in 1946 along the original alignment of Route 66, with a lounge wing added in 1956 and an original neon sign.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the restaurant is significant under Criterion A in transportation and commerce for its association with Route 66. It reflects the private, family-run roadside commercial development of the highway and is one of only a handful of pre-1970 restaurants in Illinois that have operated continuously along the route. It has not been substantially altered since 1956 and retains integrity.","narrative":"Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket is a one-story brick restaurant at 645 Joliet Road in Hinsdale, Illinois, on what was the original alignment of Route 66. Chicago architect Eugene F. Stoyke designed it for owner Irv Kolarik, and it was completed in 1946 with large canted windows, a flat steel roof and a neon sign on a steel post. A lounge wing followed in 1956. The business began as a lunch counter in a nearby gas station in the late 1930s and grew into a full-service restaurant known for fried chicken. Interstate 55 opened south of the site in 1962 and cut traffic sharply, but the restaurant survived under new ownership beginning in 1963. It is considered significant for its link to Route 66 and for showing the kind of independent, family-run roadside business that served highway travelers. It has remained in continuous operation and keeps much of its original exterior and interior.","period_of_significance":"1946-1956","architect_builder":"Stoyke, Eugene F., Architect","architectural_style":"No Style","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Still operating as a restaurant, with historic functions and current functions both listed as restaurant.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:37.23318-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/78/8910/28891078/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/06000375.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000375/87f55d23ee-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000375/87f55d23ee-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Marcin Wichary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dell_Rhea_Chicken_Basket_sign.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcin Wichary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dell_Rhea_Chicken_Basket_sign.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28891078","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_Rhea%27s_Chicken_Basket","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5254135"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/dupage-county/dell-rheas-chicken-basket-06000375/"}