Bohlander, Jacob, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1894 on a corner lot in Maywood, Illinois, this red brick house was the home of Jacob Bohlander, a dry goods merchant who served as village president during its construction. Its design is Queen Anne with classical touches: a wraparound porch with Ionic columns and a pediment, a hexagonal tower, a semicircular turret, three dormers, and a slate roof over a limestone and sandstone base. Inside, a 30-foot stairhall with oak Ionic columns and a circular staircase survives with unpainted original woodwork, along with original lincrusta, hardware, and patterned radiators. The house served as a rooming house in the 1940s and 1950s and has been a single-family home since the 1960s. It was listed for its architecture, as a locally distinctive example of the free classic Queen Anne style and the only masonry example in Maywood.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a locally significant, distinctive example of Late Victorian Queen Anne architecture in its "free classic" form, combining classical details with towers and bays. It has a well-preserved interior with good detailing. It is described as the only masonry free classic Queen Anne house in Maywood.
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 89001113, listed August 21, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 316 N. 4th Ave., Maywood |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | August 21, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89001113 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | ca 1894 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | In use as a single-family residence since the 1960s; earlier used as a rooming house in the 1940s and 1950s. Some deterioration noted, including rotted rear porch gutters, roof and third-floor porch woodwork. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.89076, -87.83828 (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 89001113.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q104846816
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.