I thought it would be fun to start exploring some of the nearby Chicago suburbs for some PrairieMod gems and share them with readers from time-to-time. Here's a quick tour of Villa Park, IL and some of the interesting sites to see. More after the jump...
Villa Park is a far-western suburb of Chicago located near Elmhurst, Oakbrook and Lombard. Once home to the Ovaltine factory, there are several structures of interest to the PrairieMod-minded.
The first architectural find I came across was the 1910 Ardmore Train Station, designed by John S. Van Bergen. Originally a stop on the Chicago/Aurora/Elgin train line, this Prairie School gem now houses the Villa Park Chamber of Commerce and is in beautiful shape. The station can be found at 10 West Park Boulevard.
My next stop was the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Charles C. Heisen House. Built in 1920, this home is a rare example of Wright's American System-Built homes, an early experiment with prefabricated building. The house stands at 346 East Highland Ave.
My next stop was to find where the 1927 Villard Theater was once located. Readers might remember the post I recently did on the Pickwick Theater that Alfonso Iannelli helped design in Park Ridge, IL. The Villard was another example of Iannelli's decorative interior work. Shut down years ago, sadly all that remains is the shell of this building as it is in the process of being renovated for store fronts and condos. Anything Iannelli did is now lost to the ages—though he may have had a hand in designing some of the building's brickwork and copper elements. What's left of the Villard is located at 118-126 S. Myrtle.
After the depressing realization that nothing Iannelli remains of the Villard interior, I decided to follow a hunch that perhaps the Villa Park Historical Society might have some photos of what it once looked like.
Located at 220 S. Villa Avenue in another converted train station, the Villa Park Historical Society is a wonderful collection of displays and artifacts. There is much on the town's connection to the Ovaltine factory, the train line, the numerous area Sears catalog homes and other interesting historical tid-bits. To my delight, they did have a small display of photos of the Villard's Iannelli-designed interior! I wasn't able to get a copy for the blog at the time, but I would recommend a visit to anyone interested to learn more about the town and see the Villard photos for yourself.
I hope you enjoyed this little suburban adventure to Villa Park. Look for more explorations in the future!
All photos copyright PrairieMod
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