Ridge Manor
Why it's listed
Ridge Manor, at the northeast corner of Ridge Avenue and Davis Street in Evanston, is a three-story English basement apartment building completed in 1916 to designs by William H. Pruyn, Jr. It joins two building types in one design. Four tiers of large apartments face Ridge Avenue, while a courtyard section opening onto Davis Street holds smaller units with fewer rooms. Both sections are faced in red brick with limestone trim, and entrances have birch paneling, mahogany moldings, marble baseboards and leaded glass. The larger apartments had maid's quarters, a central vacuum system and sun parlors with special casement windows, and glazed brick in the rear courtyards reflected light indoors. Only the Ridge Avenue section appeared in a contemporary directory of better-class apartments. Construction of the building in 1916 pushed nearby residents to file for Evanston's first restricted residence district, an early effort to limit where apartments could be built. A 1977 renovation replaced the roof and mechanical systems.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it unique in Evanston because it combines two different apartment types, large Ridge Avenue apartments and a smaller courtyard section, in one coordinated design. Only the Ridge Avenue section was included in a period directory of better-class North Side apartments. Its construction also prompted neighbors to file for the city's first restricted residence district.
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 84001034, listed March 15, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1603-1611 Ridge Ave. and 1125 Davis St., Evanston |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | March 15, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84001034 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | William H. Pruyn, Jr. |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Alterations in 1977 included a new roof, boiler and hot water system, and chemical cleaning of the brick and stone. |
| Acreage | 0.7 |
| Within district | Evanston Ridge Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.04748, -87.68857 (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 84001034.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q96401979
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.