Illinois Industrial School for Girls
Why it's listed
Set on 14 acres on North Prospect Avenue in Park Ridge, this campus began as the Illinois Industrial School for Girls, a home and training school for dependent and neglected girls. The school had operated from Evanston since 1877 and used the Park Ridge farm, bought in 1884, to support its work. Buildings went up between 1908 and 1914, arranged in a circle around an open center with a circular drive and mature trees attributed to landscape architect Ossian Cole Simonds. Holabird & Roche designed six of the nine contributing buildings, which are brick Colonial Revival cottages and the larger Straut School of Domestic Economy, with its limestone Ionic portico. Donors such as Julius Rosenwald and James A. Patten funded individual cottages. Later additions in the 1960s and 1970s were placed to complement the layout. The property remains in use serving youth, and its historic buildings have seen only minimal alteration.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Styles | Colonial Revival; Classical Revival |
|---|---|
| Areas of significance | Social History, Architecture |
| Acreage | 14 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Illinois Industrial School for Girls (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.