{"nrhp_refnum":"78001135","name":"Dryden, George B., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1314 Ridge Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Evanston","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":42.04161909100006,"lon":-87.68935001706583,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-12-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A Georgian Revival mansion with a matching garage at 1314 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, Illinois, on a site of more than two acres. It was designed by architect George W. Maher in 1916 for industrialist George B. Dryden and was occupied by 1917.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a significant example of George Maher's skill as an architect, showing that this Prairie School figure could produce a pure, carefully detailed Georgian composition. It is also described as one of the few grand Evanston mansions that still has its original, generous site. It reflects a period when architects sought a residential style expressing American ideals.","narrative":"Built in 1916-1917 at 1314 Ridge Avenue in Evanston, this thirty-room Georgian Revival mansion and its garage occupy a landscaped site of more than two acres. Chicago architect George W. Maher designed it for industrialist George B. Dryden, who founded the Hoof Pad Company, later the Dryden Rubber Company, and whose wife was a niece of Kodak founder George Eastman. The red brick house has a two-story pedimented portico, stone columns, a Palladian stair window and fireproof concrete and steel construction, and it cost $150,000. Maher is better known as a Prairie School architect, and the house shows his command of historic styles. It is also noted as one of the few large Evanston estates that still keeps its original grounds. The school district acquired it in 1960 and converted it to offices, with only modest changes to the interior and the loss of some balustrades outside.","period_of_significance":"1916","architect_builder":"George W. Maher","architectural_style":"Georgian Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Bought by School District 65 in 1960 and converted to administrative offices (house) and maintenance and service use (garage); the form says the exterior is in good condition and the interior alterations did not significantly change spaces and details.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.981986-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/14/8924/28892414/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/78001135.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001135/b357f90876-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78001135/b357f90876-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Zol87 from Chicago, IL, USA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_B._Dryden_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Zol87 from Chicago, IL, USA</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_B._Dryden_House.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"83000309","name":"Evanston Ridge Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/evanston-ridge-historic-district-83000309/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892414","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_B._Dryden_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19872761"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/dryden-george-b-house-78001135/"}