Sauganash Historic District
Why it's listed
Sauganash is a planned residential district of about 160 acres in northwestern Chicago. It contains 609 resources, of which 468 contribute: 465 buildings, one site (Sauganash Park) and two commemorative objects. Developers Koester and Zander laid it out in the 1920s with diagonal streets, wide lots, deep setbacks and paved roads, designing it around the automobile while also using the nearby railroad station. The houses are almost all single-family and eclectic, with Tudor Revival the most common style, followed by Colonial Revival, French, Classical, Italian Renaissance and Spanish revivals, bungalows, Cape Cods, and some Art Deco and Art Moderne examples. Public features include Sauganash Park, a 1936 WPA-built Art Deco elementary school, a plaque marking the Treaty Elm site, and a World War II memorial. The district is considered significant for its suburban character within the city and its architectural diversity during the 1912-1950 period.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is significant as a planned, automobile-oriented suburban community inside Chicago, with a layout of diagonal streets, large lots and deep setbacks that sets it apart from the surrounding grid. It also stresses the variety of early twentieth-century revival and modern housing styles, led by Tudor Revival, and its community-built amenities such as the park, school and memorials.
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 10000310, listed June 7, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Lemont and Keating Aves, Chicago and Northwestern Railway and the alley to the east of Kilbourn Ave, Chicago |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | June 7, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000310 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1912-1950 |
| Architect / builder | Developers Koester and Zander; Sauganash Elementary School designed by John C. Christensen (built by the WPA, 1936) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals; Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements; Modern Movement |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still primarily single-family residential, with the park, elementary school and two commemorative objects still in their historic uses. |
| Acreage | 160 |
| Coordinates | 41.99072, -87.74337 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 10000310.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7427192
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.