How Can We Help You?

15 South Clay Street - Membership Organization Building

sclayThe building is located at the southeast corner of Chicago Avenue and Clay Street and is now known, as the Hinsdale Historical Society Museum was landmarked by the Village Board of Trustees on May 7, 2002. It is a two-story wood frame and wood clad building with wood shake roof, constructed in 1874 in the Italianate style. The house was originally sited at 213 South Lincoln Street and was moved to its present location south of Eleanor's Park in 1981.

The building is an example of the Village's early settlement and the social aspirations and economic standing of its owner and the owners of similar middle-class dwellings in the area. The building was occupied by eight separate families from 1847 to 1981 and is an example of a well-maintained modest Italianate style popular in the latter half of the 19th Century. It has a low-pitched gable roof, wide eaves, elaborate eave brackets, arched windows with hood moldings at the front and paired front doors (not original) with glass. The raised stone foundation replicates the original. In 1983, the east and south walls of the small room at the rear of the house were extended to meet the original south wall of the main house to provide a covered and more secure rear entrance. In 1985, a period- and style-authentic covered flat-roof front porch that partially wraps to the south wall was added.

As the headquarters of the Hinsdale Historical Society, 15 South Clay is the focal point for a number of popular Historical Society activities and programs. It is listed in the DuPage County Cultural and Historical Inventory.


Please contact the Village Planner at (630) 789-7030 with any questions and for assistance in designating your home as a landmark.