Healy Chapel
Encyclopedia
Healy Chapel is a historic mortuary in Aurora
, Illinois
. It was designed by George Grant Elmslie
and is one of only a few Prairie School
buildings designed for commercial purposes.
, Illinois to Aurora
in 1891. He opened "Healy and Blair", a furniture store that doubled as a mortuary. His brother, Arthur N. Healy, joined him in a new partnership in 1901 and they moved into a new building at 50 W Downer Place. Focusing almost exclusively on undertaking, the firm was officially incorporated in 1919. Increased demand for their services led to the need for a new building.
The Healy Chapel is one of only a few commercial buildings built in the Prairie School
style. It was designed by George Grant Elmslie
, a renowned architect who worked with Louis Sullivan
. Like most Prairie School buildings, there is a strong emphasis on horizontal designs on the exterior. The three-story building features beige stucco
along the third floor. A line of orange-glazed terracotta separates the stucco from the brick lower levels.
The building was constructed down the street from the old practice, at 332 W. Downer Place, and cost $100,000. The Healys were the first to bring hearse
service to Aurora, and the Healy Chapel is recognized as the first building in the state exclusively used as a mortuary. It is located in the West Side Historic District
, but is listed as a non-contributing property. It remains family-owned and continues to operate.
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It was designed by George Grant Elmslie
George Grant Elmslie
George Grant Elmslie was an American, though born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Prairie School architect whose work is mostly found in the Midwestern United States...
and is one of only a few Prairie School
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
buildings designed for commercial purposes.
History
William H. Healy moved from YorkvilleYorkville, Illinois
Yorkville is a city located in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,189 at the 2000 United States Census and is estimated to be 16,505, . It is the county seat of Kendall County...
, Illinois to Aurora
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
in 1891. He opened "Healy and Blair", a furniture store that doubled as a mortuary. His brother, Arthur N. Healy, joined him in a new partnership in 1901 and they moved into a new building at 50 W Downer Place. Focusing almost exclusively on undertaking, the firm was officially incorporated in 1919. Increased demand for their services led to the need for a new building.
The Healy Chapel is one of only a few commercial buildings built in the Prairie School
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
style. It was designed by George Grant Elmslie
George Grant Elmslie
George Grant Elmslie was an American, though born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Prairie School architect whose work is mostly found in the Midwestern United States...
, a renowned architect who worked with Louis Sullivan
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
. Like most Prairie School buildings, there is a strong emphasis on horizontal designs on the exterior. The three-story building features beige stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
along the third floor. A line of orange-glazed terracotta separates the stucco from the brick lower levels.
The building was constructed down the street from the old practice, at 332 W. Downer Place, and cost $100,000. The Healys were the first to bring hearse
Hearse
A hearse is a funerary vehicle used to carry a coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery. In the funeral trade, hearses are often called funeral coaches.-History:...
service to Aurora, and the Healy Chapel is recognized as the first building in the state exclusively used as a mortuary. It is located in the West Side Historic District
West Side Historic District (Aurora, Illinois)
The West Side Historic District is a set of ninety-eight buildings on the west side of the Fox River in Aurora, Illinois. Of these, seventy-seven contribute to the historical value of the district.-History:...
, but is listed as a non-contributing property. It remains family-owned and continues to operate.