This plaque program is administered by The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest and is intended to highlight the rich history and architectural heritage of our two villages as well as serve as an example of community pride.  The plaque is intended to inform the community, tourists and neighbors about the historic specifics of each designated house only; this is not a landmark program.*  This program will also serve as a fundraiser for the Historical Society and a portion of each plaque is tax deductible.  We thank you for your support!  Click here to print the form. 

Each plaque will include the following information:

THE NAME OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER (man/woman's full name)

THE DATE THE HOUSE WAS BUILT OR “CIRCA” DATE

HISTORICAL SOCIETY LOGO

THE ARCHITECT OR BUILDER NAME IF KNOWN (not required)

PROTOTYPES OF THE PLAQUES CAN BE SEEN ON 140 S. GROVE, 209 S. GROVE, 213 S. GROVE, 700 S. ELMWOOD and 333 N. EUCLID in OAK PARK and 306 KEYSTONE in RIVER FOREST

GUIDELINES

1. House should be at least 50 years old. 

2. The homeowner is responsible for researching the history of their house to determine the original owners name, year the house was built and architect or builder if known.  Homeowner should begin their research at The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest by calling Research Center Director Diane Grah at 708-848-6755 for an appointment. She can provide materials and guidance for your research.  There may be several steps in the research process; the Historical Society may not provide all the information you need to qualify for a plaque.  The Historical Society can refer you to other research institutions.  Once research is completed the “Historic Plaque Application” must be filled out and returned to the Historical Society along with copies of ALL your research findings, which must be legible.  The research on the home must be complete as determined by the plaque committee.  A chain-of-title or original building permit may be required if other sources are not definitive.  The plaque committee WILL require further research if they feel research is incomplete OR they have questions about the research provided.  Once the committee approves the plaque research, which may take approximately 30 days, payment must be received by the Historical Society before the production process will begin.

3. The house must be in good repair and retain most of its historic character as determined by a visual inspection conducted by the Historical Society of OPRF’s plaque committee: we reserve the right to refuse plaque designation if the visual inspection is unsatisfactory or research is incomplete.

4. Once the plaque is issued it must be placed where it can be viewed from the front sidewalk. 

5.  This program was originally intended for single family homes, but we are open to accepting applications for multi-family, condo/apartment buildings, or commercial properties.  Please call the Historical Society to inquire.

PLAQUE SPECIFICS

Plaques are cast bronze and are an 11x8 OVAL.  The following mounts are available:  front mount, a sandwich mount for placement on a fence or a stake mount where the plaque will be on a stake either 18 or 24 inches long that can be placed in your front lawn. The stake mount solders the plaque to the stake either at an angle or facing flat like a “lollipop”- your choice.  Sandwich mounts and staked plaques are an additional cost.  The plaques will be available in two colors: brown (most often used) and black- your choice.

* Oak Park residents interested in pursuing an Oak Park landmark designation for their property please contact Doug Kaarre at the Village of Oak Park at 708-358-5417. 

Web site created by Marty Hackl m_hackl@ameritech.net