Three Cook County properties listed in National Register of Historic Places

CHICAGO - Historic properties in Winnetka, Burr Ridge and Chicago have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service, a designation that recognizes their national historical significance.

"These three properties are important windows into Cook County's past that can teach and inspire current and future generations," said Robert Coomer, director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which administers the National Register program in Illinois.

• Community House, 620 Lincoln Ave., Winnetka. Listed: August 30. Founded in 1911, the Community House is a complex of buildings that has served as Winnetka's center for educational, cultural, social, and recreational activity since its inception. Conceived, constructed and initially nurtured by the Winnetka Congregational Church, the Community House has earned a national reputation by meeting the changing needs of residents for nearly 100 years

• Robert Vial House, 7425 S. Wolf Road, Burr Ridge. Listed: August 31. This 1856 house was built by one of the township's early settlers, agricultural and civic leader Robert Vial. It is an excellent example of an upright-and-wing vernacular dwelling, and is the oldest residence and only remaining early farm house in the Burr Ridge community. Most of its original architectural features remain intact, making it look much as it did more than 150 years ago.

• Palmer Park, along E. 111th Street, Chicago. Listed: August 30. Palmer Park was part of a revolutionary early 20th century plan by the South Park Commission to provide breathing spaces with recreational facilities and social services to the densely populated housing areas on Chicago's south side. The 1905 park was designed by D.H. Burnham & Co. architects and Olmsted Brothers landscape architects, two renowned firms whose designs for these facilities influenced the development of neighborhood parks across the country.

For more information on the National Register of Historic Places program in Illinois, visit www.Illinois-History.gov/PS/historicplaces.htm.