Oak Circle Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Oak Circle Historic District is a historic district
in Wilmette
, Illinois
, United States
. The district covers 2.6 acre (0.010521836 km²) and includes twenty-two contributing properties and four non-contributing properties, all located along Oak Circle. It primarily consists of fifteen single-family homes representative of the Prairie School
and Craftsman
styles of architecture. The Oak Circle Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on June 21, 2001; it was the first historic district to be designated in Wilmette.
. Oak Circle is approximately 400 feet (121.9 m) long and is bordered by Wilmette Avenue to the north and an alley
to the south. Twenty-six properties are located along Oak Circle; fifteen of these are homes, and the other eleven are detached garages
alongside the homes. The homes along Oak Circle are set back about 35 feet (10.7 m) on the west side of the street and 25 feet (7.6 m) on the east side. Lot sizes of the properties in the district are around 5000 to 6000 square feet (557.4 m²); many of the lots are irregular due to the curvature of Oak Circle. Many of the lots include trees, which are considered to contribute to the character of the district.
ted in 1907 as part of Joseph Woodruff's Addition to Wilmette. Oak Circle was paved in 1911, and homes on the west side of the street were likely built between 1917 and 1920; however, the permits indicating the precise dates of their construction were lost in the 1920 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak. The homes on the east side of Oak Circle were constructed after 1920. A. W. Dickinson added a lot to Oak Circle in 1920 and constructed the houses on the east side; their similarity to the western houses suggests Dickinson built those houses as well.
s, and they exhibit various elements of the Craftsman
and Prairie School
movements. Craftsman elements in the houses generally included low, gabled roofs, overhanging eaves, decorative beams, and materials such as wood, stone and brick. The Prairie School was reflected in the homes' bands of windows with geometric glazed patterns; the houses originally included an average of 40 of these windows, many of which had colored glass. Colonial Revival and Italian Renaissance
influences can also be seen in the bungalow at 340 Oak Circle, the last of the bungalows to be built. Three of the bungalows are Airplane Bungalow
s, a style in which the upper story of the home sits above the lower story like a cockpit above the wings of an airplane. The twelve bungalows are a mix of one-story and one-and-a-half-story homes; no two homes on Oak Circle are exactly alike. The remaining three homes are two-story homes which also demonstrate the Craftsman and Prairie School influences seen in the other homes. Several of the eleven garages in the district are also contributing properties; the garages at 328, 332, and 344 Oak Circle have architectural details similar to their respective houses.
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
in Wilmette
Wilmette, Illinois
Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located north of Chicago's downtown district and has a population of 27,651. Wilmette is considered a bedroom community in the North Shore district...
, 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,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The district covers 2.6 acre (0.010521836 km²) and includes twenty-two contributing properties and four non-contributing properties, all located along Oak Circle. It primarily consists of fifteen single-family homes representative of 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,...
and Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
styles of architecture. The Oak Circle Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on June 21, 2001; it was the first historic district to be designated in Wilmette.
Geography
The Oak Circle Historic District is centered on Oak Circle, a curved brick street in southern Wilmette; Oak Circle is one of three curved Wilmette streets paved prior to World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Oak Circle is approximately 400 feet (121.9 m) long and is bordered by Wilmette Avenue to the north and an alley
Alley
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane found in urban areas, often for pedestrians only, which usually runs between or behind buildings. In older cities and towns in Europe, alleys are often what is left of a medieval street network, or a right of way or ancient footpath in an urban setting...
to the south. Twenty-six properties are located along Oak Circle; fifteen of these are homes, and the other eleven are detached garages
Garage (house)
A residential garage is part of a home, or an associated building, designed or used for storing a vehicle or vehicles. In some places the term is used synonymously with "carport", though that term normally describes a structure that is not completely enclosed.- British residential garages:Those...
alongside the homes. The homes along Oak Circle are set back about 35 feet (10.7 m) on the west side of the street and 25 feet (7.6 m) on the east side. Lot sizes of the properties in the district are around 5000 to 6000 square feet (557.4 m²); many of the lots are irregular due to the curvature of Oak Circle. Many of the lots include trees, which are considered to contribute to the character of the district.
History
The first fourteen homes on Oak Circle were platPlat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted in 1907 as part of Joseph Woodruff's Addition to Wilmette. Oak Circle was paved in 1911, and homes on the west side of the street were likely built between 1917 and 1920; however, the permits indicating the precise dates of their construction were lost in the 1920 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak. The homes on the east side of Oak Circle were constructed after 1920. A. W. Dickinson added a lot to Oak Circle in 1920 and constructed the houses on the east side; their similarity to the western houses suggests Dickinson built those houses as well.
Architecture
Twelve of the fifteen homes in the Oak Circle Historic District are bungalowBungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
s, and they exhibit various elements of the Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
and 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,...
movements. Craftsman elements in the houses generally included low, gabled roofs, overhanging eaves, decorative beams, and materials such as wood, stone and brick. The Prairie School was reflected in the homes' bands of windows with geometric glazed patterns; the houses originally included an average of 40 of these windows, many of which had colored glass. Colonial Revival and Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
influences can also be seen in the bungalow at 340 Oak Circle, the last of the bungalows to be built. Three of the bungalows are Airplane Bungalow
Airplane Bungalow
Airplane Bungalow style dates from the early 20th century and grew out of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The Airplane Bungalow is typically found with American Craftsman or Prairie Style elements.-See also:*L. A. and Adelheid Machemehl House...
s, a style in which the upper story of the home sits above the lower story like a cockpit above the wings of an airplane. The twelve bungalows are a mix of one-story and one-and-a-half-story homes; no two homes on Oak Circle are exactly alike. The remaining three homes are two-story homes which also demonstrate the Craftsman and Prairie School influences seen in the other homes. Several of the eleven garages in the district are also contributing properties; the garages at 328, 332, and 344 Oak Circle have architectural details similar to their respective houses.