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444 South La Grange Road, La Grange, IL

Web: www.lagrangehistory.org

Phone/Fax: 708.482.4248

LA GRANGE AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY Serving La Grange and La Grange Park

spring 2015

President

Jeannine McLaughlin

Vice President

Mark Truax

Treasurer

Karen Lynch

Secretary

Kate Rymsza

Ellie Carroll

Susan Downs

Marilyn Faber

Nancy Kenney

Pat Kozlowski

John Linesch

Nancy Skog

Tina Stellmack

Mary Ann Sward

Cynthia Urbain

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Workhorse rally

historic restoration revives beloved la grange stone avenue train station

Tom Livingston, President of

the Village of La Grange, reflects

with fondness on the Stone Avenue

Train Station. “My father took the

train out of this station for forty

years. It’s a real workhorse…”

However, time had taken a toll on

the century-old station: rusted gut-

ters, rotting wood, peeling paint, a

deteriorated roof. The workhorse

needed mending. In 2005, the vil-

lage launched a restoration effort

that would truly take a village to

pull off. It would require the input

of a wide range of resources, rang-

ing from village officials to legisla-

tors, railroad representatives, and

community organizers. On a warm

October morning, Livingston and

the La Grange community cele-

brated the project’s completion.

The 900-square-foot station, with

its locally quarried limestone and

bold arches, now gleams with as

much charisma as it did when it

was built in 1901.

Worthy of a Railroad Suburb

La Grange has long been a rail-

road community. Railroad service

began as early as 1864 and by

1869, commuter rail service con-

nected the village to Chicago. In

1870, Franklin D. Cossitt pur-

chased six hundred acres of land

adjacent to the railroad. Nine years

later, the Village of La Grange was

incorporated. The Stone Avenue

Train Station exemplifies both the

classical and Richardsonian Rom-

anesque styles. Heavy, rusticated

stone arches, gabled roofs, and

wood detailing define the station.

The limestone of the outer gallery

walls was likely sourced from a lo-

cal quarry.

Over the years, the station en-

dured several renovations, which

replaced many of the original fea-

tures with less-than-historic ver-

sions. The design team had to con-

tend with recreating the turn-of-

the-century feel within limited

budget parameters, while also re-

specting ongoing maintenance re-

quirements. Marc Rohde, director

of municipal architecture at Legat

Architects said, “Generic globe

lighting on the outside and fluores-

cent ceiling lights on the inside de-

tracted from the authenticity of the

structure.” Rohde has mourned

many train stations damaged by

decades of commuter traffic and

harsh Chicago winters. “The Stone

Avenue Station is a historic land-

mark that had taken a real hit.

When I first inspected it, I saw beat

-up asphalt shingles on the roof,

gaps in the limestone, and the

beadboard that was gray and peel-

ing.”

The village secured funding for

the anticipated $1,085,000 project

through two primary grant

sources: Congressman Dan

Lipinski ($700,000 grant) and the

West Suburban Mass Transit Dis-

trict ($385,000 grant). The project

was competitively bid and awarded

to Boiler Construction of

Waukegan in 2013. Congressman

Lipinski had seen old stations de-

molished, then replaced by new

stations that looked similar to the

old ones. He said, “The Stone Ave-

nue station is a cherished part of

the La Grange community and I

didn’t want it to meet a similar

fate.”

The Way it Should be

To help research and reignite

the station’s historic charm, the

village and Legat Architects enlist-

ed the assistance of the La Grange

Area Historical Society. LAHS un-

covered the station’s original 1901

plans which it received from the

Burlington Route Historical Socie-

ty. “These were used to help guide

the renovation design,” said Assis-

tant Village Manager Andrianna

Peterson. “The team also studied

the society’s collection of early

postcards and photographs of the

station’s historic features.” The un-

earthed documentation influenced

material and fixture selection, in-

cluding the identification of period

correct light fixtures outside and

new chandeliers inside. Additional-

ly, the team replace the plain alu-

minum doors with aluminum-

framed oak doors repainted with

historically accurate colors.

“The project focused on pre-

serving the look and feel of many

of the station’s beautiful historic

features,” said Rohde.” For in-

stance, the restoration fixed the

rotting dentil molding along the

roofline and replace the old bead-

board on the outdoor ceilings with

stained oak beadboard.” Designers

also had to be respectful of the vil-

lage’s budget and maintenance

constraints. There was a careful

balance between choosing afforda-

ble contemporary materials and

creating authenticity. For instance,

one hundred percent recyclable

and curable polymeric slate roof

tiles replace the damaged asphalt

shingles. The new tiles are a cost-

effective alternative to traditional

slate and require much less

maintenance. The tiles are also ap-

pealing. “When you look at the

roof,” said Rohde, “you see subtle

color changes based on your per-

spective and the position of the

sun.” The project scope also ad-

dressed the historic platform sign-

age. Legat used the 1901 station

plans to recreate the design of the

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platform sign. Additional repairs

included landscape improvements

(design courtesy of the La Grange

Garden Club and Hitchcock Design

Group) to make the station more

inviting with beautiful, yet accessi-

ble outdoor spaces.

A Community Constant

The Village of La Grange has a

long-standing tradition of preserv-

ing its past. Turn-of-the-century

homes in many styles enrich its

large historic district. The thriving

downtown includes a tapestry of

buildings dating from the late

1800s. In the last century, the vil-

lage has transformed from a quaint

shopping town to what Livingston

calls “a transit-oriented, vibrant

downtown.” Indeed, the village has

been fortunate to receive several

recent accolades including one of

the “Best Places to Live and “Best

Downtown” by Chicago magazine

and “Top Transit Suburb” by the

DePaul Chaddick Institute.

La Grange residents continue

to embrace the iconic Stone Ave-

nue Train Station; its serves almost

a thousand commuters each day.

“Everyone keeps saying how beau-

tiful it is,” said Andrea Barnish,

resident and chairman of the De-

sign Review Commission, which

was consulted on the station’s up-

grade. “It’s nice to see it was re-

stored and not replaced.” Curtis

Linder, resident and Treasurer of

the West Suburban Mass Transit

District said, “it’s a dramatic im-

provement to an architectural

gem.” The workhorse is back on

track.

Submitted by Douglas Ogurek,

Communications Manager: Chica-

go-based Legat Architects, which

served as the architect of record

for the Stone Avenue Train Station

restoration.

Workhorse rally | continued from page 2

historic restoration revives beloved la grange stone avenue train station

Early 20th Century Photo

Present Day Following Restoration

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In 1954 La Grange celebrated

its 75th Anniversary. The celebra-

tion took place from September 1-

6, 1954. One of the highlights of

the celebration was the arrival of

the Burlington RR engine #35, and

a replica of the Hannibal and St.

Joseph Railroad Mail Car #1. A

head count at the close of the Dia-

mond Jubilee celebration indicated

that 10, 699 people visited the Ex-

hibit of the Hannibal & St. Joseph

Mail Car replica and Locomotive

#35. It had been placed on a rail-

road siding between Kensington

and Ashland Avenues.

History of Mail Car #1

Mail sent from the cities east of

the Mississippi River was put on

railroad cars. The trains that trav-

eled across Illinois ended their run

at the western border of Illinois.

Since there were no bridges across

the Mississippi River at the time,

mail was transported across the

river by boat and then put on the

Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad

that traveled across the state of

Missouri to their end point in St.

Joseph, Missouri. The mail was

then taken from the train and

transported across the Missouri

River by boat, and from there the

mail would be handed over to ei-

ther the Pony Express riders or the

Overland Express Stage.

Mail Car #1 represented a sig-

nificant event in our history as it

was the first railway car on which

the U.S. Mail was sorted en route.

The idea for a railway car on which

the U.S. mail was sorted, the fore-

runner of nationwide railway post

office service, was conceived by

William A. Davis, Assistant to the

Postmaster at St. Joseph, Missouri.

Davis was perturbed by the fact

that important mail from the east

was being delayed in his office

while being sorted and conse-

quently often missed connections

with the Pony Express. He urged

postal authorities to give him per-

mission to meet the mail at the

east end of the line, West Quincy,

Missouri, and sort the mail while

the train rolled westward. His re-

quest was granted and a baggage

car was hastily converted for the

purpose. Davis made his first his-

toric run in the new mail car on

July 28, 1862. Also riding the mail

car on that run as a mail clerk, was

Fred Harvey, later to possess fame

as the operator of a system of rail-

road restaurants.

In conjunction with the 75th

Anniversary of La Grange, the

postmaster of La Grange, Charles

Farley, asked several individuals to

attend the celebration as honored

guests. Postmaster Farley sent one

such letter to Groucho Marx. Fol-

lowing is Marx’s reply…

Submitted by: The Burlington

Route Historical Society.

A Letter from Groucho Marx

Dear Mr. Farley:

I wish I could come. I, too, have many pleasant

recollections of La Grange and our feeble attempts to

become farmers. In those days the farmers’ crops were-

n’t guaranteed by the government and when you went

broke you just went broke.

But I loved La Grange. I loved the golf course

across the road, and the CB&Q railroad train that took

me to Chicago and Wrigley Field.

Best wishes for a happy show.

Cordially,

Groucho Marx

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It’s never been easier… To make a secure dona-

tion using your PayPal account visit us on the

Web and click the ‘donate’ button.

www.lagrangehistory.org

What’s wright in La Grange?

On May 17th and 31st, LAHS Member John Burns conducted 90 minute guided walking tours of four

Frank Lloyd Wright homes in La Grange. Another tour is being offered. Reserve your spots now!

Sunday, September 13th · 1:30 - 3:00 PM

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Downton abbey discussion | Mavor collection grand opening

The Downton discussion cen-

tered on a premise, proposed by

David Lott in Time Machines: See-

ing ourselves in Downton Abbey,

“it invites us to consider the possi-

bilities of genuine social progress

by allowing us to recognize our-

selves. Without offering an overt

moral lesson, Downton Abbey sug-

gests that is it lives well lived, re-

gardless of class or gender, that are

the best security we have in this

world that’s being constantly recre-

ated.”

The character of Lady Cora

Crawley is loosely based on the

daughter of Levi Leiter. Leiter, was

in business with Marshall Field

and purchased a significant por-

tion of property in La Grange from

Franklin Cossitt. As well, he pur-

chased the bell for Lyons Township

High School. Leiter’s daughter

Mary, not unlike Cora, married

George Curzon, a member of Brit-

ish Parliament, a diplomat, and an

Asian expert. The New York Times

described their wedding “as a not

soon to be forgotten affair.” Curzon

was appointed Viceroy of India in

1898 and became a Baron.

Watch our Facebook page and

website for updates regarding fu-

ture Downton events. Read more

about The Mavor Collection online

in the Chicago Tribune.

IMPORTANT DATES!

OPEN HOUSES: LAST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH - 1: 00 TO 4:00 PM

MAY 31, JUNE 28, JULY 26, AUGUST 30, SEPTEMBER 27

MUSEUM HOURS: WEDNESDAYS - 9:30 A.M. TO NOON (OR BY APPOINTMENT)

MAY: 6, 13, 20, 27 JUNE: 3, 10, 17, 24 JULY: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 AUGUST: 5, 12, 19, 26

SEPTEMBER: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

The Museum is open each Wednesday. Whether your research needs are architectural or genealog-

ical the historical society Archive is an excellent place to begin your search

HEART OF LA GRANGE (A GUIDED WALKING TOUR) | 1:30 - 3:00 PM

GIVEN BY LAHS MEMBER: JOHN BURNS (RSVP: JOHN@JOHNBURNSCONSULTING.COM)

Sunday, June 21st (Father’s Day) - Tour Begins inside the La Grange Road Train Station

COLLECTION

MAVOR The

MEETINGS - 7:00 PM AT THE VIAL HOUSE MUSEUM

Wednesday, May 27th - Meeting of the Board of Directors

Wednesday, September 30th - Meeting of the Board of Directors

WHAT’S WRIGHT IN LA GRANGE? (A GUIDED WALKING TOUR) | 1:30 - 3:00 PM

GIVEN BY LAHS MEMBER: JOHN BURNS (RSVP: JOHN@JOHNBURNSCONSULTING.COM)

Sunday, June 28th - Tour Begins inside the Vial House Museum (444 S. La Grange Road)

Sunday, September 13th - Tour Begins inside the Vial House Museum (444 S. La Grange Road)