Meet us where history and architecture walk in stride
The La Grange Area Historical Society has been organizing events that help us explore the history of La Grange and La Grange Park since 1972. There are five self-guided walking tours that you can follow to truly immerse yourself in the history and the architecture of the village!
Tour #1:
The first tour extends from La Grange Road east to Eighth Avenue and includes four homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. In addition to Wright’s distinctive Prairie Style, you will also see homes identified as Vernacular, which means the designs may be a product of several different architectural styles.
Tour #2:
The second tour begins at the corner of Elm and Stone and ends near Cossitt and Waiola. This tour features the home of Ralph B. Hayward, the La Grange Village president from 1925-1927.
Tour #3:
The third tour begins at the corner of Cossitt and Spring and leads you to 47th Street along Spring, ending at Cossitt and Kensington. It features the nearly unaltered Victorian home of Harley Bradford Mitchell, the La Grange Village president from 1905-1907.
Tour #4:
Explore Madison Avenue and LaGrange Road on tour number 4! This tour begins at the Samuel Vail family home. This home is the home of the La Grange Area Historical Society. It was purchased by the Historical Society in 1894 as a museum and research center.
Tour #5:
This tour begins at a Victorian House on South Ashland and continues along Ashland, ending at Cossitt and Catherine. On this tour, you’ll see the only unaltered Victorian Second Empire house in the area.
Tour #6:
Tour Number six begins at 41 North Madison and meanders to 46 North Stone. On this tour, you’ll see a Roman Catholic Church with a floorplan based on that of an ancient Roman basilica.
Tour #7:
This tour begins at 141 North Madison and loops to 200 North Catherine where you will see the Catherine Grace Lutheran Church, which is in the Norman Gothic style and boasts 41 stained glass windows and a pipe organ.
You’ll be the guide for these walking tours of La Grange! The tours are self-guided and cover the historical district of La Grange in detail. Print or download your map from the La Grange Area Historical Society website, or download the PocketsSights app.
These self-guided walking tours of La Grange and its history are completely free!
It’s always a good idea to start at the La Grange Area Historical Society. You’ll find the historical society at 444 South LaGrange Road. The historical society is a bit less than one mile from the LaGrange Road stop on the BNSF Metra.
