Explore the History of Downtown Glenview

Join us on a self-guided walking tour of historic downtown Glenview! Can you find and identify each of the locations listed below? To help you get started, explore the map here.

1. This farmhouse built in 1864 by Sarah Hutchings is one of the oldest buildings in Glenview. The house was home to the Hutchings, Schur and Homan families before being acquired in 1967 by this historical organization.

2. Constructed before WWI, the Blue Heron served as a hotel and restaurant — and was famous for its chicken dinners. What remains of the building now houses an antique shop.

3. The exterior of this building remains similar to how it looked when it was built as a Pure Oil Station in the 1930s. The Pure Oil Company used “English Cottage” style architecture to make their filling stations appealing to suburban neighborhoods.

4. This memorial was dedicated in May 1958. The American Legion Post 166, VFW Post 8859 and several garden clubs formed a committee to have the monument constructed.

5. Now an Italian restaurant, this site was once home to Rennecker’s Drug Store. Opened in 1932 at 1826 Glenview Road, a fire in 1960 destroyed the original building. Rennecker’s moved just slightly west to this location in 1961.

6. The Rugen family opened a general store at this location in 1880 and a larger Rugen Stores building opened here in 1905 which carried hardware, dry goods, clothing and groceries. Rugens was demolished in the 1980s and replaced by a Bess Hardware Store.

7. Village incorporators met to incorporate the village at this location in 1899. Built in 1878 and known as Al Eustice’s Saloon, this building once had a third story which acted as a dance hall, a Masonic hall, and as the site for Catholic Church services.

8. This is the first building that was specifically constructed to be Glenview’s Post Office. The Post Office was located here between 1930-1954.The building now contains a bicycle shop, a barber shop, and an optician’s office.

9. Established in 1930, this institution moved to its present location in 1955. The original building added major additions in 1967 and 1986 but kept outgrowing its space. The current building was built in 2010.

10. In 1929, the Glenview Park District purchased this land to create its first public park. The park’s famous fountain was dedicated in 1917 and originally located further east on Glenview Road.

11. Dedicated in 1929, Glenview’s first civic building originally housed government offices, the public library and public meeting rooms.

12. H.L. Harms built this saloon in 1889. Leo Lang and eventually the Rugen family owned and managed this tavern. The tavern operated throughout prohibition and became one of the area’s major betting parlors.

13. A small red brick church was built here in 1907. As Glenview and the parish grew, a convent, a school and eventually a new, larger church building were erected on the site.

14. Throughout its history, this location has been home to several municipal buildings including: Glenview’s first K-12 school building, District 34 Administration offices, Glenview Village Hall and Police Station. A new municipal entity is situated here today.

15. This school is named after the first superintendent of Glenview School District 34. A restaurant called the Garden of Allah once occupied this same site and was rumored to be run by an organized crime syndicate.

Did you find them all? Need a clue? Names, addresses and current photographs of these sites can be found here.