The Downtown Hinsdale Historic District is a set of seventy-three buildings and one park in Hinsdale, Illinois.
The region was platted by William Robbins, the founder of Hinsdale, in 1865. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad's (CB&Q) passenger station prompted several small businesses to develop across the street. Fifty-eight of the listed buildings were built for commerce, three for government, and nine for transportation. The remaining building is a theater. The shops are densely clustered in orthogonal patterns, and are mostly found on the south side of the railway tracks. The government buildings, including the Village Hall (Hinsdale Memorial Building) and U.S. Post Office are on the north side.
An article entitled "Hinsdale the Beautiful" in Campbell's Illustrated Journal prompted city officials to further beautify the city. The first major project was a state-of-the-art train station, which was designed by CB&Q architect Walter Theodore Krausch. The station became a model for the future construction of other stations on the line. The region north of the tracks became the next target, focusing on the Railroad Park (modern day Burlington Park). Commercial demand spiked in the early 20th century, even causing some gablefront residential buildings to be rezoned as commercial. The 1200-seat Hinsdale Theater was constructed in 1925 for $160,000. Chain retailers began to move into the downtown district starting in the 1920s, starting with a Loblaw food chain in 1929 (which was purchased in 1932 by the Jewel Tea Company). A Piggly Wiggly and a Walgreens also moved in during this period. In the 1920s, the city of Hinsdale overhead plans by a local car dealership to build the largest automobile garage "east of the Mississippi". To curb this plan, the city bought the proposed site and constructed a building dedicated to those who served and died in World War I. Construction on the Memorial Building finished in 1927.
Hinsdale is notorious for the aggressive teardown policies pursued by real estate agencies in its residential districts, but the commercial district has remain intact. The earliest buildings are on First and Washington Streets, which date from the 1880s and are in the Late Victorian, Italianate, and Queen Anne Styles. Colonial and Renaissance Revivals featured in early 20th century buildings until the Hinsdale Plan of 1923 dictated the use of Georgian Revival architecture. Eight of the properties were built after 1955. The district is served by three asphalt-paved parking lots.
These buildings are at least fifty years old and have had minimal alterations. They comprise the main core of the historic district.
Hinsdale Memorial Building (1927) - Georgian Revival Style Village Hall and public library designed by Edwin H. ClarkRailroad Park (1877) - A public park adjacent to the Hinsdale Memorial Building8 W. Chicago Ave. (c. 1950) - Colonial Revival gas station10 W. Chicago Ave. (1926) - Classical Revival commercial block24 W. Chicago Ave. (1915) - Garage26-28 W. Chicago Ave. (c. 1940) - Modern Style commercial blockSchweider & Mewherter Building (1944) - Classical Revival commercial block designed by R. Harold Zook9 E. First St. (1904) - Colonial Revival commercial block10-12 E. First St. (c. 1912) - Commercial Style commercial blockOstrum Building (1925) - Renaissance Revival style commercial block212-214 First Street Building (c. 1912) - Commercial blockPolice and Fire Station (1935) - Georgian Revival police and fire station designed by Philip Duke WestHinsdale Theater (1925) - Renaissance Revival movie theater designed by William Gibson BarfieldPhilip D. West Office (1950) - International Style commercial block designed by Philip D. WestRay J. Soukup Building (1929) - Renaissance Revival style commercial blockHenry Reineke Building (1922) - Commercial blockPapenhausen Building (1888) - Gablefront commercial blockBuchholz Block (1895) - Renaissance Revival commercial blockJohn Reineke Building/The Squire Shop (1941) - Classical Revival commercial block designed by R. Harold Zook17 W. First St. (1887) - Gablefront commercial block19 W. First St. (1887) - Gablefront commercial blockBrewer Brothers Filling Station (1929) - Colonial Revival gas station designed by R. Harold ZookHinsdale Trust and Savings Bank (1910) - Classical Revival temple-frontDieke Building (1920) - Commercial blockLaGrange Gas Company (c. 1940) - Art Deco commercial block16 E. Hinsdale Ave. (1890) - Gablefront commercial block18 Edward F. Neidig Building (1907) - Prairie School commercial blockBrush Hill Train Station (1898) - Renaissance Revival style railroad station designed by Walter Theodore KrauschMohr Building (1909) - Commercial style commercial blockClineff's Home Restaurant Building (1928–30) - Classical & Renaissance Revival style commercial block designed by Francis A. Flaks32-34 E. Hinsdale Ave. (1912) - Commercial Style commercial block36 E. Hinsdale Ave. (1924) - Commercial block8 W. Hinsdale Ave. (c. 1927) - Colonial Revival commercial blockOld Post Office (1926) - Colonial Revival commercial block18 W. Hinsdale Ave. (c. 1902) - Commercial block20 W. Hinsdale Ave. (1894) - Commercial blockFleck Automobile Building - Commercial Style commercial blockMcClintock Building/Auto Dealership (1922) Commercial block53 S. Lincoln St. (1935) - Colonial Revival freestanding commercial buildingUnited States Post Office Hinsdale, IL (1939–40) - Georgian Revival United States Post Office designed by Louis A. Simon33-35 S. Washington St. (1900) - Queen Anne and Classical Style commercial blockFox Building (1891) - Colonial Revival commercial block39 S. Washington St. (1897) - Queen Anne commercial blockWilliam Evernden Building (1894) - Commercial block41 S. Washington St. (1932) - Commercial style commercial blockJohn Bohlander Building (1894) - Commercial block43 S. Washington St. (1901) - Commercial style commercial blockOlson's Dry Goods (1909) - Colonial Revival commercial block46 S. Washington St. (1912) - Commercial block47 S. Washington St. (1881) - Italianate and Colonial Revival commercial blockOswald Building (1889) - Colonial Revival commercial block, 1928 remodel designed by R. Harold ZookKarlson's Building (1898) - Commercial style53 S. Washington St. (1927) - Classical Revival commercial block54 S. Washington St. (1892) - Queen Anne commercial blockHinsdale State Bank (1927) - Classical and Renaissance Revival commercial block designed by William Gibson BarfieldPapenhausen Building (1888) - Queen Anne commercial block104-106 S. Washington St. (1910) - Commercial blockTheidel Building (1925) - Renaissance Revival commercial block112-114 S. Washington St. (1929) - Tudor Revival commercial block designed by Edward P. Steinberg116-118 S. Washington St. (1915) - Commercial blockThese buildings are included as part of the listing, but are not of historical significance.
John C. F. Merrill Building (1910) - Commercial blockHinsdale Chamber of Commerce (1978) - Commercial block designed by Philip Duke WestHinsdale Laundry Building (1894) - Gablefront commercial blockRiccardo's Tailor Shop (1972) - Colonial Revival commercial block designed by Albert NemoedeWestern United Gas and Electric Company (1909) - Temple-front26-26.5 E. Hinsdale Ave. (1957) - Commercial block40 E. Hinsdale Ave. (1998) - Neo-traditional commercial block13 S. Lincoln St. (c. 1920) - Commercial block40-46 Village Ct. (1908, 1960s) - Colonial Revival strip mall45 S. Washington St. (1993) - Commercial block48 S. Washington St. (1914/1919) - Commercial block50 S. Washington St. (1988) - Commercial block120 S. Washington St. (1965) - Colonial Revival commercial block
