Bloomingdale School-Village Hall
Why it's listed
Built in 1891 by Charles Harnbel, this red, two-story wood-frame building at 108 East Lake Street in Bloomingdale served first as a district schoolhouse. It is described as the only known two-story frame schoolhouse in the Bloomingdale area, where most schools had a single story. It has a gabled asphalt roof, a mansard-roofed bell tower, pedimented window caps and an enclosed front porch. Classes were held there until 1937, when the new Central School replaced it. The school district then rented the building to the village, which adapted it as village hall and as police and fire headquarters, with the north wall altered for a fire truck. It was renovated in 1977-1978, and a retail shop now occupies it. Its listing rests on two roles: education from 1891 to 1937, and local government from 1938 to 1944. It is one of the few surviving district schoolhouses in DuPage County.
Significance in brief: It is locally significant under Criterion A for education as a well-preserved two-story town schoolhouse, one of the few district schoolhouses with historic integrity left in DuPage County. It is also significant for politics/government as the village hall and police and fire headquarters from 1938 to 1944.
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 94001263, listed October 28, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 108 E. Lake St., Bloomingdale |
|---|---|
| County | DuPage County |
| Listed | October 28, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94001263 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1891-1937 (Education); 1938-1944 (Politics/Government) |
| Architect / builder | Harnbel, Charles, Builder |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the Village of Bloomingdale and rented to a retail store (Hats-N-Hides); renovated 1977-1978 and described as maintaining historic integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.95717, -88.08217 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 94001263.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4928322
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.