Butler School
Also known as: Oak Brook Village Hall; Oak Brook Library
Why it's listed
Built around 1921 on the northwest corner of 31st Street and Spring Road in Oak Brook, Illinois, Butler School is a red brick schoolhouse in the Georgian Revival style with Federal details. It has a symmetrical front, a pedimented entrance wing with a fanlight, modillioned cornices, and side wings flanking a central block. Frank O. Butler, a local landowner and dairy operator, donated ten acres and paid for the two-classroom building to replace the one-room Rabbit Hill and Torode schools. Grades one through four met in one room and grades five through eight in the other, while the basement served as an auditorium, gym and meeting space. The school stayed open until 1961 and drew about 52 pupils a year on average. It also hosted a community club with dances, suppers, plays and sports. Its listing recognizes its place in local education history, and it remains an intact example of a small rural schoolhouse in DuPage County. The architect is unknown.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is locally significant under Criterion A for its role in the community's educational history. It is a well-preserved two-room schoolhouse in DuPage County that served part of York Township until 1961 and was a hub of community activity. Frank O. Butler donated the land and funded its construction.
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 03000355, listed May 9, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1200 31st. St. (Oak Brook Rd.), Oak Brook |
|---|---|
| County | DuPage County |
| Listed | May 9, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000355 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | circa 1921-1953 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival; Georgian Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Now used as village offices and storage and for museum purposes; the interior has been remodeled at least three times but retains its original floor plan. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.83478, -87.94620 (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 03000355.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5002646
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.