Historic Preservation within the Village

This webpage was developed by the Historic Preservation Commission to provide additional information regarding historic character, benefits of historic preservation, architectural styles within the Village and landmarking. Historic preservation guidelines have also been provided to guide homeowners in their exterior alterations and additions to historic properties.

The Glen Ellyn Historic Preservation Commission seeks to preserve our village’s historic character. We see local landmarking as critical to this cause, both of free-standing buildings with historic or architectural merit and of well-defined landmark districts within historic neighborhoods.

Glen Ellyn's Historic Preservation Guidelines are designed to help you make appropriate choices, especially as a first step toward seeking a landmark designation. The guidelines are intended to help property owners who are:

  • interested in maintaining their historic homes or other buildings.
  • caring for structures situated within historic areas.
  • considering streetscape-compatible additions to their buildings.
  • planning new construction. 
  1. Historic Character
  2. Benefits
  3. Architectural Styles
  4. Landmarking
  5. Guidelines

Glen Ellyn’s oft-referred to “historic character” encompasses an eclectic range of building styles for people with different tastes, incomes and lifestyles. In 2002, surveyors from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Historic Preservation Masters Program conducted a historic resources survey of architecturally significant residential and commercial buildings within a defined range in the older historic neighborhoods around downtown. They described Village character in this way:

Glen Ellyn is characterized by single-family homes representing the variety of architectural styles prominent from its founding through today that conform in several ways.  They:

  • Share the same setbacks on front and sides, allowing for uniform green space and space between lots
  • Have rear garages with car-width drives (no circular driveways that pave much of the front yard). Exceptions are the mid-century ranch houses.
  • Feature front porches and windows, not garage doors or paved driveways, as their faces to the public
  • Do not tower over pre-existing residences
  • Incorporate trees into their landscaping
  • Often represent the latest in the architectural styles of their time