Millard, Sylvester, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1893, this log house at 1623 Sylvester Place in Highland Park, Illinois, sits on the Lake Michigan shore and is described as the city's first east side residence. W.W. Boyington designed it. He served as mayor of Highland Park from 1874 to 1876 and is credited with the Moraine Hotel, now demolished, the Chicago Water Tower and the first Exmoor Country Club. Sylvester Millard joined Boyington and others in developing Exmoor Country Club. The property once covered eleven acres including a ravine and lake frontage and now covers five. The house has two and three stories under gable roofs and once had many porches and balconies. Changes include a housekeeper's wing in 1918, an enlarged dining area in 1929 that still has bark walls from the original porch, and four upstairs rooms created in 1947. It was remodeled again after a 1977 fire. The living room is the only unchanged room. A gardener's cottage remains on the approach. The house is still a residence.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it Highland Park's first east side residence, built on the Lake Michigan shore. Its architect, Boyington, was mayor of Highland Park from 1874 to 1876 and designed other notable buildings. Millard joined Boyington and others in developing the Exmoor Country Club.
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 82002572, listed September 29, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1623 Sylvester Pl., Highland Park |
|---|---|
| County | Lake County |
| Listed | September 29, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82002572 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | W.W. Boyington |
| Architectural style | Log House, log cabin |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Residential use, original and present. Condition is marked fair. The house has been altered several times, including after a fire in 1977. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 42.18232, -87.78400 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 82002572.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16895134
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.