Ravinia Park Historic District
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
Ravinia Park occupies about 36 acres in Highland Park, Illinois, and serves as the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It began in 1902 when the Chicago and Milwaukee Electric Railroad bought wooded land to create a resort that would attract railroad riders. Architect Peter Weber designed four buildings, and the park opened in August 1904 as an amusement park. Two of those buildings survive: the Casino and the theatre, later renamed the Murray Theatre. Both are stucco with towers, red tile roofs, stained glass and Arts and Crafts woodwork. Wooden entrance gates with broad elliptical arches also remain. After the railway entered receivership in 1908, opera became the main attraction, and the years 1918-1931 were known as the Golden Age of Opera at Ravinia. The park closed during the Depression and reopened in 1936 as the Ravinia Festival. A 1950 concrete pavilion replaced a wooden one lost to fire, and the grounds remain in active concert use.
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 | Spanish-derived forms with Arts and Crafts detailing |
|---|---|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Acreage | 36 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Ravinia Park Historic District (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.