{"nrhp_refnum":"79000819","name":"Muller House","other_names":["Arlington Heights Historical Society"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"500 N. Vail Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Arlington Heights","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":42.087558511000054,"lon":-87.98451327999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-03-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Exploration/Settlement"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-one-half-story brick building at 500 N. Vail Avenue in Arlington Heights, Cook County, Illinois, built in 1882 as a combined home and soda water factory for the F. W. Müller family. It now houses the Arlington Heights Historical Society.","why_significant":"The Müller family was among the earliest to settle both home and business in Arlington Heights, and their commercial enterprise marked the village's shift from farm settlement toward a Chicago suburb. The building also combines a functional factory design with Victorian residential features. It is valued as a preserved piece of the community's past.","narrative":"Built in 1882 at 500 N. Vail Avenue in Arlington Heights, this brick building first served as both home and factory for the F. W. Müller family and their soda water business, F. W. Müller and Sons. The factory occupied the basement level, and a third story was added in 1896 along with a two-story dormitory for seasonal workers. Arched windows, a stringcourse separating factory from living space, and a Greek key cornice on the front give it a functional look uncommon in homes of the period. Inside are a hand-carved oak staircase, oak and walnut screens, and etched glass room dividers. The Müllers were among the earliest families to settle home and business in the village, and their enterprise helped turn a farm settlement into part of Chicago's suburban area. The building now holds the local historical society, with the family living space restored as an 1880s home and museum of area history.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"F. W. Müller, builder","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Restored and used as a museum and historical society headquarters; the home portion is restored to resemble an 1880s moderate-income Arlington Heights home.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.406425-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/62/8925/28892562/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/79000819.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000819/f6db9ec90e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79000819/f6db9ec90e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"G LeTourneau","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muller_House_(Arlington_Heights,_IL)_01.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">G LeTourneau</a>, <a href=\"http://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:Muller_House_(Arlington_Heights,_IL)_01.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892562","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCller_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6934190"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/muller-house-79000819/"}