Dorhmann-Buckman House
Also known as: 8455 West Grand Avenue
Why it's listed
Located at 8455 West Grand Avenue in River Grove, about 12 miles northwest of Chicago, this property includes a two-story wood-frame house and a 1 1/2 story barn on a half-acre lot. Frederick Dohrmann bought the lot in 1874, and the first part of the house went up around 1875. Henry Buckman, a carpenter and early village official, acquired the house in 1890, and his family owned it until 1992, when it was deeded to the Village for use as a house museum. Two additions, dated to about 1891 and 1895-1909, match the original house in design and materials. The house follows a side-hall plan with a stone foundation, clapboard siding, segmental arched upper windows, and an Italianate newel post. The barn is the only surviving outbuilding. The property was listed for its architecture as a representative front-gabled Italianate house. Its period of significance runs from 1875 to about 1909.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is locally significant in architecture as a good representative example of a front-gabled house with Italianate details in River Grove. The later additions are largely intact and do not detract from the original design. The additions and the barn convey how the property functioned during the Buckman family's ownership.
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 94001598, listed January 24, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 8455 W. Grand Ave., River Grove |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | January 24, 1995 |
| Reference number | 94001598 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1875 - ca. 1909 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Italianate (front gable house) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Deeded to the Village of River Grove in 1992 for future use as a house museum; the barn needs extensive repair. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 41.92931, -87.83794 (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 94001598.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q104854030
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.