Akin, Mrs. Henry F., House
Why it's listed
This one-story bungalow at 901 South 8th Avenue in Maywood, Illinois, was built shortly after 1908 on land subdivided by Henry F. Akin, who served as the village's mayor in 1898. The L-shaped wood frame house is sheathed in stucco and sits on a raised concrete foundation under a shallow hip roof with wide overhangs. Horizontal wood banding, ribbons of casement windows and a brick fireplace of narrow Roman bricks reflect Prairie School design, inside and out. Tallmadge and Watson, known Prairie School architects working in Oak Park and the North Shore suburbs, designed it. The house was published in Henry Saylor's 1911 book on bungalows and in the 1912 Architectural Review. It is considered one of the three finest architect-designed Prairie School homes in Maywood and keeps nearly all its original details, apart from a replaced front door and a glazed porch. A modern garage at the rear does not contribute to its historic character.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is architecturally significant as one of the three finest architect-designed Prairie School residences in Maywood and a fine example of the Prairie style applied to a bungalow. It was published in Henry Saylor's 1911 book on bungalows and in the July 1912 Architectural Review. It also has extraordinary integrity.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 92000487, listed May 22, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 901 S. 8th Ave., Maywood |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | May 22, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92000487 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca.1910 |
| Architect / builder | Tallmadge, Thomas and Watson, Vernon |
| Architectural style | Late 19th Century and Early Twentieth Century American Movements: Prairie School |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single-family dwelling; the porch has been glazed and the front door replaced, but other historic details are intact. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.87947, -87.84211 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 92000487.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q98769002
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.