{"nrhp_refnum":"75000658","name":"Chicago and Northwestern Depot","other_names":["Chicago &amp","Northwestern Passenger Depot"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1135-1141 Wilmette Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wilmette","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":42.077635057000066,"lon":-87.70569849599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1975-04-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick railroad depot built in 1873 for the Chicago & North Western Railroad in Wilmette, Cook County, Illinois. It was moved in 1897 and again in 1974, and now stands at 1135-1141 Wilmette Avenue.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the depot was the catalyst for Wilmette's development as a commuter village and an unusual early example of private urban planning. It is described as the oldest surviving urban passenger station in the Chicago metropolitan area and a fine example of functional late 19th-century railroad architecture. It was also the site of the 1872 incorporation vote and the first village election.","narrative":"Built in 1873 for the Chicago & North Western Railroad, this brick depot was paid for by ten subscribers, a group of land developers hoping to attract commuters and buyers to Wilmette, Illinois. It was designed to impress prospective buyers arriving from Chicago and appeared prominently in real estate advertisements. The designer is unknown, though the railroad's design department is thought to have produced it. When a new passenger station opened in 1897, the building was moved one block north and served as a freight station until 1946. It then sat vacant until 1974, when it was relocated to Wilmette Avenue to prevent demolition. The nomination calls it the oldest surviving urban passenger station in the Chicago area and Wilmette's most historic building. Before the village school existed, it hosted the vote to incorporate the village in 1872 and an early trustee election. Renovation planned to restore the platform roof, columns and original openings.","period_of_significance":"19th Century; specific date 1873","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Relocated June 13, 1974 to prevent demolition; owned by the Wilmette Historical Society and being renovated for commercial use (retail shops), with restoration of the platform, roof extension, doorways and window openings planned. Condition listed as fair.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.085896-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/13/8925/28892513/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/75000658.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000658/8ffd35ac49-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/75000658/8ffd35ac49-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Zol87 from Chicago, IL, USA ]","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chicago_and_Northwestern_Depot_Wilmette.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Zol87 from Chicago, IL, USA ]</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chicago_and_Northwestern_Depot_Wilmette.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892513","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilmette_station_(Chicago_and_North_Western_Railway)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5095870"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/chicago-and-northwestern-depot-75000658/"}