Vine-Oakwood-Green Bay Road Historic District
Why it's listed
Twenty modest houses on East Vine Avenue, North Oakwood Avenue and North Green Bay Road make up this Lake Forest neighborhood, laid out on a simple grid west of the railroad tracks. Homes date from the 1860s to 1926 and show a progression from Italianate to Queen Anne, early modern stucco, and classical and medieval revival styles. Most are two stories, set back about twenty-five feet on half-acre lots, along narrow streets with grassy parkways, large trees and gas streetlamps. Notable works include a Medieval Revival house by Hugh Garden and the 1913 Clow House by David Adler, an early product of the Adler-Dangler partnership. The district matters because Lake Forest is otherwise known for large estates and curving streets. This neighborhood housed the tradespeople, clerks, postmasters and estate workers who served the community, along with several early settler families. Commercial and apartment development had reduced the original residential area to less than a third of its nineteenth-century size.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that this modest, grid-plan neighborhood is unique in Lake Forest, a city otherwise known for curving streets and large estates. It preserved a middle-class enclave where people who served the community lived, and it keeps a turn-of-the-century appearance. Several houses are noted for their architects, early settlers or notable residents.
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 80001381, listed March 28, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Green Bay Rd., E. Vine and N. Oakwood Aves., Lake Forest |
|---|---|
| County | Lake County |
| Listed | March 28, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001381 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1857-1926 |
| Architect / builder | Various; including Hugh Garden (185 Vine), David Adler (461 North Green Bay Road), and builders John Dean, Lars Nielson and Robert Bell |
| Architectural style | Italianate, Queen Anne, Medieval Revival, Tudor and late Georgian houses |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Houses are mostly owner-occupied; the district is described as a quiet neighborhood retaining its turn-of-the-century appearance, with no intrusions, though commercial expansion threatens the surrounding area. |
| Acreage | 13 |
| Within district | Lake Forest Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.24987, -87.84138 (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 80001381.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7932369
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.