Glen Ellyn Main Street Historic District
Why it's listed
Main Street in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, is lined with houses that record how the village grew from a farming settlement into a railroad town, a summer resort and a quiet residential suburb. The district runs along Main Street between Cottage Avenue and Hawthorne Street and contains homes from the 1860s to 1930, though its stated period of significance is 1874 to 1905. Most are set well back from the road beneath mature trees. Queen Anne houses are the most common, and no two are alike. Italianate, Gothic Revival and Greek Revival examples also appear. Individual houses are tied to local figures, including the Stacy family, whose Queen Anne mansion is called the village's finest, ornithologist Benjamin Gault, and village president Edgar McChesney. Buildings were rated as significant, contributing, non-contributing or intrusive according to age, style and integrity. The area was recognized for keeping an unusually intact record of the village's pre-1900 architecture despite suburban growth around it.
Significance in brief: The district keeps a fine collection of homes from before the turn of the century despite suburban growth around it. It shows Glen Ellyn's architectural development from a rural farming community to a resort and retirement village. Its hilly, tree-lined streetscapes blend Italianate, Gothic Revival and Queen Anne styles, with Queen Anne the most numerous.
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 84000204, listed October 29, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Main St. between Cottage Ave. and Hawthorne St., Glen Ellyn |
|---|---|
| County | DuPage County |
| Listed | October 29, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84000204 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1874-1905 |
| Architect / builder | Various; local builders the Boyd brothers and local architects Perkins and Norris are named for individual houses |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Gothic Revival and Queen Anne, with some Greek Revival alterations |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Marked occupied, in private ownership, used mainly as private residences; condition listed as good and altered. |
| Acreage | 8 |
| Coordinates | 41.88003, -88.06671 (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 84000204.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5567732
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.