Notable Architects
For a Village of less than 4 square miles, Winnetka has an impressive array of architectural styles. This is in large part due to the many talented architects that designed Winnetka’s historic homes and structures. Learn about notable architects William Aitken, Spencer Solon Beman, Edwin Clark, Walter Burley Griffin, and Andrew Paulson, whose visionary designs helped make Winnetka the unique and architecturally significant Village it is today. Click HERE!
82 Essex (1911), called the “Solid Rock” house, is one of Walter Burley Griffin’s best-known designs in Winnetka.
Local Landmark and National Register Homes and Buildings
Winnetka is home to over 30 National Register and local Designated Landmark buildings. Scroll through the gallery to learn more
about these historic structures. View HERE!
660 Pine was designed by W.C. Zimmerman in 1904 and is a Winnetka Designated Landmark.
The House Tells the Story
If Winnetka’s historic houses could talk, they would surely have fascinating stories to tell! The Gage House, the Willson House, and the Mears mansions have particularly captivating (and at times frightening) histories. From a shipwreck to a murder and a swindling developer, learn more about the storied pasts of some of Winnetka’s most notable homes. Click HERE!
The Gage House at 1175 Whitebridge Hill (c. 1857) was turned into a makeshift hospital for survivors of the Lady Elgin wreck.
What’s Left Behind
While notable Winnetkans have worked hard to preserve the historic homes and buildings in the Village, many historic structures have been demolished nonetheless. The Winnetka Historical Society has been committed to collecting and preserving many elements of Winnetka’s lost structures. Scroll through the photo gallery here to see some of the remaining elements of historic structures that have been renovated or are no longer with us. Look HERE!
677 Willow (c. 1860), home of Winnetka’s first Civil War casualty, was demolished in 1990.
The Schmidt-Burnham Log House
Learn about the history of the Schmidt-Burnham Log House, which is both a local Designated Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Click HERE!
The Schmidt-Burnham Log House (c. 1837) is the oldest house in Winnetka.