Grossdale Station
Also known as: Brookfield's Old Prairie Avenue Railroad Station
Why it's listed
Grossdale Station is a small Victorian railroad depot in Brookfield, Illinois, built in 1889. Samuel Eberly Gross, a Chicago real estate promoter, paid for it, reportedly $5,000, to encourage development of his Grossdale subdivision for working families. The building has a two-and-a-half-story center section with a four-room flat upstairs, one-story wings, fish-scale siding, carved wooden supports and a roof extended as an awning. Its ornamental roofline and porch pillars were removed in a 1941 renovation, and plans call for restoring them. The nomination describes it as the oldest station on the Burlington Northern commuter line and the only station in the state financed and built by a private individual to promote land along the tracks. It is also linked to the founding of the village, which was named Grossdale until 1905. The station was moved in 1981 to save it from demolition and now stands near the tracks on the former village hall site.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the oldest station on the Burlington Northern commuter line and the only railroad station in the state financed and built by a private individual to develop land along the railroad. It is tied to the founding of Grossdale, later renamed Brookfield, and to Gross's pioneering sales methods. It is also a cottage-style Victorian design.
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 82004912, listed June 15, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 8820 1/2 Brookfield Ave., Brookfield |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | June 15, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82004912 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Samuel Eberly Gross; architect unknown |
| Architectural style | Victorian cottage style |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Transportation, Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Moved on April 9, 1981 to a new site; condition listed as fair, altered and moved, with restoration work under way and plans to return it to its original appearance. An earlier 1980 listing was removed after the move. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.82308, -87.84269 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 82004912.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q134577521
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.