{"nrhp_refnum":"77001516","name":"Naperville Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Juilian, Highland, Chicago, Jackson, Eagle, and 5th Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Naperville","county":"DuPage County","state":"IL","lat":41.775720199000034,"lon":-88.15199461432418,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1977-09-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic district covering most of the older core of Naperville, Du Page County, Illinois, about 28 miles southwest of Chicago. It includes the original town-site and early additions north of the river and Chicago Avenue, with roughly 615 structures dating from about 1830 to 1920.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the district lets visitors trace Naperville's growth from early settlement through small town and city to suburb, using the surviving buildings alone. The older building stock is still relatively intact and of above-average quality, with 20 outstanding sites and many secondary buildings that give the area its character as an old town that became a suburb.","narrative":"Naperville's historic district takes in most of the older core of the city on the West Branch of the Du Page River, about 28 miles southwest of Chicago. Of roughly 615 structures, 71 were judged especially significant. Two-story frame houses are the most common building type, and Italianate is the dominant style, alongside Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Prairie School and Medieval Revival buildings. Three houses are attributed to Harry Robinson. Landmarks include the 1870 North Central College main building by John Van Osdel, the 1898 Nichols Library, Paw Paw Station of 1833, Joseph Naper's general store of 1847-9, and the Kroehler furniture factory. The town was platted in 1842 and grew through plow making, breweries, nurseries, quarrying, the railroad and furniture manufacturing, with education a second strong force. The district was listed because its buildings still show how Naperville developed as a largely independent small city before recent suburban expansion, even though new construction and parking lots have intruded.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Harry Robinson (Nichols House, Givler House, Dr. Truitt House); John Van Osdel (North Central College, 1870); M. E. Bell (Nichols Library, 1898); Joseph Naper (general store); G. N. Gross; Dr. David Hess","architectural_style":"Italianate dominant; also Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Prairie School and Medieval Revival styles","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition marked good. Land uses include commercial, educational, religious and private residence. The nomination notes intrusions from new construction, parking lots and commercial expansion.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:34.492979-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/50/8927/28892750/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/77001516.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001516/c571b7dfeb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/77001516/c571b7dfeb-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Teemu08 (talk)","credit_html":"Teemu08 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Naperville_Historic_District.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892750","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naperville_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6964853"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/dupage-county/naperville-historic-district-77001516/"}