Lake Bluff Uptown Commercial Historic District
Why it's listed
Lake Bluff's Uptown Commercial district is the village's historic downtown, centered on E. Scranton and E. Center Avenues just east of the commuter rail tracks. It holds eight buildings, a park, and several objects and structures, with the buildings dating from 1900 to 1927. Most are two-story brick, wood and concrete buildings, mixing Colonial and Tudor Revival designs, two eclectic buildings drawing on Prairie and medieval models, and some vernacular examples. The Village Market of about 1900 is the oldest. The Sankey Building, or Merchant Block, is a Tudor Revival commercial block wrapping a corner. The red brick train depot of 1904, designed by Frost and Granger for the Chicago & North Western Railway, combines Gothic Revival and Arts and Crafts elements. Lake Bluff began as a Methodist camp meeting resort in the 1870s, and its early frame stores were largely replaced by masonry buildings in the teens and 1920s. Rail service shaped the village's growth into a commuter community, and the district's integrity is described as excellent.
Significance in brief: The district preserves the village's early twentieth-century business center, built after the first frame commercial buildings were replaced with masonry ones. It is tied to the area's railroad history, notably the 1904 Chicago & North Western depot designed by Frost and Granger, and to the village's growth as a commuter community. The nomination also notes the buildings' Revival-style architecture and excellent integrity.
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 06001021, listed November 15, 2006. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 20, 31-113 E. Scranton, 26-40 (even) E. Center Ave., and 550 N. Sheridan, Lake Bluff |
|---|---|
| County | Lake County |
| Listed | November 15, 2006 |
| Reference number | 06001021 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Charles Frost and Alfred Granger (Chicago & North Western Railway depot, 1904) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Prairie School, Late Victorian, Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Transportation, Entertainment/Recreation, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Integrity described as excellent; buildings in mixed commercial, office and residential use; the depot is still a train station; the Village Market was undergoing renovation in 2006. |
| Acreage | 4.7 |
| Coordinates | 42.27950, -87.84457 (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 06001021.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16893916
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.