2319 Lincoln St
Evanston, IL 60201, USA

Dwight Perkins House - National Register of Historic Places

Statement of Significance:

The Perkins house (1904) is significant architecturally as a design of the nationally known architect, Dwight Perkins, and as a lasting expression of the Arts & Crafts movement. In addition, it is significant for its connections with the achievements of the Perkins, family members who have lived there for 81 years. Dwight Perkins had local and regional significance as a planner of parks and recreational facilities in Chicago and Evanston and as a founder of the Regional Planning Association. His work to establish and develop the Cook County Forest Preserves was significant on the state and local levels. Further, his socially inspired architecture, especially his innovative school designs, were of _national significance. Lucy Fitch Perkins, his wife, was a nationally known children's author and illustrator. Her books had a significant impact on the way children's literature was written and were internationally recognized. Both she and Dwight appreciated nature and, had a sense of social consciousness and responsibility to future generations which they translated into their work in architecture, planning and literature. Eleanor, their daughter, was a writer and helped found the -Evanston League of Women Voters and Evanston Art Commission. Lawrence, their son, is a prominent architect and the founded ' of Perkins'' & Will, a nationally known firm specializing in school architecture. Margery, who was married to Lawrence; was recognized for her work for the Evanston Historical Society and as a founding member of the Evanston Preservation Commission.

Dwight Perkins (1867-1941) attended and taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He returned to Chicago in 1888 and after working with Burnham and Root during the period of the Columbian Exposition, his first independent commission was for Steinway Hall (1896 now demolished). When it was finished Perkins leased the top floor for studios, which he shared with Frank Lloyd Wright, Robert Spencer and Myron Hunt. Along with other architects who had space there over the years, they became the core of the group later acknowledged as the Prairie School.

Stein way Hall, was not, only an arena where ideas were put to paper, but a gathering place where architects and writers called the "Eighteen" or the "Committee on the Universe" could meet to discuss matters of mutual interest, including civic issues. This group played a dominant role in the Chicago Architecture Club, which influenced the development of Chicago architecture. As part of this group Dwight helped found the Architectural League of America in 1899 and the Chicago Arts and Crafts Society in 1897.

In 1904 Dwight and Lucy moved from Chicago to the house he designed at 2319 Lincoln in Evanston. This area, known as the "Big woods, 11 was largely undeveloped. Dwight built several houses in the area ever the next eight years, all reflecting the diversity of housing design which has characterized Evanston from its beginnings.

Their house was built of wood and stucco, which are identifiable with what would become the Prairie School. But the building itself is tall, bold and upright, rather than low and elongated. Although related to an English cottage with its pitched roof, it has distinctive decorative bracketing attributed to the Arts and Crafts movement. It is in distinct harmony with its natural environment, a cnarac~er1stic of both Prairie and Arts and Crafts design.

The original landscaping was done in conjunction with the Midwest’s foremost landscape architect, Jens Jensen, a friend of Dwight's. A reflecting pool in the backyard remains from the original design. As plannings have been replaced, the intent of the owners has been to retain the feeling of Jensen’s work by using native Illinois plants and trees.

The Arts and Crafts movement incorporated handmade, functional ornamentation and aesthetically pleasing details into a house. The porches, casement windows, bracket detail, trellises and natural gardens fall easily into the Arts and Crafts beliefs 1n stmpl1c1ty of des1gn, exposure to air and light, and the desirability of providing for outdoor living. When the original porch was enclosed, a deck was built above its second story to continue access to the outdoors.

The interior more strikingly reflects the Arts and Crafts influence. Most representative of this movement, as well as such elements of Prairie style as horizontal bands of windows, are the living room, dining room and studio. These rooms are enhanced by the stairways, alcoves and foyer. The Arts and Crafts movement stressed easy accessibility to areas such as kitchens, and the use of structural features to add decorative interest. Features include unpainted wood, built-in benches, bookcases, cabinets, window seats, cornice work and a large fireplace; they gave a room warmth and illustrated the individuality of the craftsman. The wooden landscape frieze over the living room fireplace and the small decorative working fireplaces in the dining room and small bedroom are further examples of how the Arts and Crafts movement contributed to interior esthetics. Stairways with wide landings were suggested as both structural and decorative elements. Extensive use of windows to admit light and landscape views is another characteristic detail. The Perkins house incorporates all these elements into its design.

The living room, with its huge central fireplace, birch cornice parallel to the ceiling line, built-in benches and bookcases, wainscotting, paneling and windows on three exposures is a fine example of the Arts and Crafts influence. The dining room has walls of cupboards and drawers opening both to the kitchen and dining room with closets on the southern wall. It is not only efficient, but enhances the feeling of warmth and style. Above the dining room fireplace is a model of a design Dwight did for the doors of the estate of Mrs. Cyrus McCormick, Sr. (1916). The McCormick house is listed on the National Register as part of the Lake Forest Historic District. The stairways and landings with their double hung windows and built-in bookcases and the foyer with its dark paneling are typically Arts and Crafts in feeling. The stairways, landings and dining room walls/cupboards are not only compatible with Arts and Crafts movement philosophy, but were functional as they provided for the necessity of moving a wheelchair through the house.

The studio, in the third-floor dormer, has built-in bookcases and wooden shelves for blueprints and maps. It is much the same as it was when Lucy and Dwight used it. Lawrence uses it now. The living room was an informal meeting place for the Steinway Hall group, other architects, writers, and friends such as Jens Jensen and Jane Addams to discuss projects. According to Lawrence, the idea of the Cook County Forest Preserve System was generated in the living room. Since Steinway Hall is demolished, the living room and studio take on a greater significance as a reminder of the progressive ideals and innovations inherent in the works of Perkins and his contemporaries. The rooms remain as areas where ideas are formulated and projects are completed within the company of others.

As significant as the house is, so too are the achievements of the people who have lived and are living there. Dwight Perkins was a man of enormous talent and vision, for whom public service was a matter of priority. He wanted to incorporate a sense of community into his designs for public buildings and bring beauty into people 1 s lives. His designs for the University of Chicago Settlement, his writings on settlement design, and his involvement with the Arts and Crafts Society made him influential in settlement architecture and work. According to Scuderia, "Perkins conceived of the settlement house as both a problem of design and an act of social consciousness." (p.115) In almost the same terms used by settlement house workers, he advocated the planning of parks, playgrounds, and recreational facilities, arguing that their refined order, communal spirit, and aesthetic inspiration were essential to laying the foundation for good citizenship.

By the late 1890s, Dwight was already known for his advocacy of parks, his interest in conservation, and his work with Frederick Law Olmsted in planning the grounds for the Columbian Exposition. In 1899 he was appointed chairman of the Special Committee on Playgrounds and Small Parks of the Special Parks Commission, a position he held for ten years. Peter Wight calls him the father of the small parks and playground system of Chicago for his work during this period. He developed plans to meet the city's park and recreational needs and was responsible for the creation of boating lagoons, baseball diamonds, golf links, tennis courts, playgrounds, wading pools, running tracks, and other facilities. He designed the refectory in Lincoln Park (1907-08), now Cafe Braeuer, and the Lion House at the Zoological Gardens (1912), both of which Carl Condit calls the only relief from the mediocrity of Lincoln Park 1 s architectural design. Reflecting his philosophy of bringing as much daylight as possible into his buildings, the Lion House brought him a gold medal from the American Institute of Architects in 1912. Dwight was subsequently elected an honorary fellow of the AIA.

At the turn of the century Dwight envisioned Chicago's future growth, and saw a need to preserve the city's surrounding green spaces from urban sprawl. He formed a committee to preserve the beauty of the land and woods around Chicago, and in 1903 was appointed a citizen member of the Outer Belt Commission by the Cook County Board. Dwight compiled reports, lectured and formed nature and hiking groups such as the Prairie Club to create interest and support for his concept of the forest preserves. He became a principal lobbyist for the state legislation necessary to create the Forest Preserve District. After several attempts, the enabling legislation was finally enacted in 1913. Following a test case brought by Dwight to ensure the statute's constitutionality, the Forest Preserves were organized in 1915. Dwight was charged with selecting the land, most of which he personally inspected. He was chairman of the Plan Committee of the Forest Preserve District from 1916-1922, continuing as a member until 1926. A 1948 resolution naming the only tract of Forest Preserve land in Evanston in his honor calls him the real father of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. The Dwight Perkins Woods in northwest Evanston is bounded by Grant and Colfax Streets and Ewing and Bennett Avenues.

Dwight extended his interest in planning parks to Evanston, where he was president of the Northwest Park District Commission from 1911-1916. He was also actively involved in the Small Parks and Playgrounds Association, which worked to consolidate control of Evanston's parks and to protect the shore line. In 1916 he was appointed to the newly organized Evanston Plan Committee, which developed a plan for Evanston that included consideration of parks, playgrounds, streets and traffic and development of business areas. One of the significant results of its report was that in 1921 Evanston became the first city in Illinois to adopt a zoning ordinance.

Deciding there was a need for planning on a larger scale, in 1923 Dwight organized a meeting of mayors and other civic leaders to form a regional planning commission. The Metropolitan Planning. Committee of Chicago was established to map out the city and suburbs to provide for future growth and Dwight was elected chairman. As a result, the Regional Planning Association was formed in 1924 to promote area-wide cooperation in planning. Dwight was elected its first president before being named honorary life president in 1925. This organization was the forerunner to the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission.

In addition to these achievements, Dwight Perkins had been nationally recognized for his innovations in school architecture. As architect for the Chicago Board of Education, 1905-1910, he created what Carl Condit has called "a modern sch9lastic architecture," setting the standard for school building in Chicago with his imaginative designs. Not until after the Depression did his ideas spread across the country, largely through the efforts of Richard Neutral in California and Lawrence Perkins in Chicago. In 1952 Architectural Forum reported that "almost all the ideas which have dominated school architecture of the past dozen years were either tried or described in buildings or writings of Dwight Perkins " (p. 120) Mark Peisch states "By using colorful tiles and masonry patterns, as well as an intelligent and purposeful design, Perkins created school’s that were conducive to the progressive ideas then coming to the fore in educational philosophy." (p.142)

The field of school design had lacked fresh ideas for a long time. Buildings were gloomy, inadequately lit and posed fire safety and sanitation hazards. Dwight's schools showed the same concern for light, air and space as his other work. He planned sites and windows to allow the maximum amount of ventilation and glare - free light. He increased the size of classrooms, and used colors that have since been found to be scientifically correct in diminishing contrasts. He scaled schools for children, giving them less of an institutional atmosphere, and used art and sculpture to add beauty. Generations of children undoubtedly appreciate his fight to build bathrooms on every floor instead of in the basement. He designed one-story, on-grade school buildings without cellars as often as possible. They reduced fire risks and were easier to service and administer and less costly in the long run.

Dwight initiated the design and use of school buildings as community centers and pioneered the idea of school playgrounds. Translating his social consciousness into his designs , he built schools so that gymnasiums and assembly halls could be used by both adults and children and be accessible after school hours without opening the rest of the school. He also recommended cooperation between park districts, school districts, libraries, and voting districts to better utilize the facilities. He believed that park and school districts should pool their resources, to provide more space and sunlight than otherwise possible.

In 1907 Dwight was elected president of the AIA. Architectural Forum states that other architects and school administrators considered his schools to be some of the best in the country. Cleveland Elementary School (1911), Trumbull Elementary school (1910), the original Lane Technical High School (1909), and Carl Schurz High School (1910) are considered by most to be among the most important of about 40 he designed for the Chicago Board of Education. According to Peisch, Schurz school was considered a model of safety for its time. After dismissal as Board architect in 1910, Dwight continued designing schools with his firm of Perkins, Fellows and Hamilton, particularly in the northern suburbs. Condit considers Evanston Township High School (1924) one of Dwight's finest designs. Before retiring in 1936, he designed more than 200 schools, parks and public buildings, in addition to private residences.

Lucy Fitch (1865-1937) attended the Art School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. After working for the Louis Prang Color Company, she was appointed the first teacher of art at the newly established Pratt Institute, a manual arts and engineering college in Brooklyn. She held this position for four years, until, in 1891, she married Dwight Perkins and moved to Chicago. Dwight included a studio in the home he designed for them because he wanted to encourage her talents. A decrease in architectural work following the Columbian Exposition provided the impetus for Lucy to resume her career as an artist in the Chicago office of the Prang Company. For ten years she taught, lectured, illustrated and painted murals in Chicago school rooms. From that time on, she provided a second income for the family which enabled Dwight to devote time to his many interests.

Lucy shared Dwight's belief in the importance of adding beauty to people's lives and in making the world a better place. Her vehicles for accomplishing this were literature and art. She wrote a number of articles around the turn of the century urging Chicago to adopt a plan for a city of beauty, which she felt was necessary if it hoped to maintain its position of importance in the world. Her work as a muralist added beauty to schools, commercial buildings and the homes of friends. She decorated the gymnasium of the University of Chicago Settlement with a mural entitled "Children of All Nations Weaving the Red, White, and Blue" (demolished). On the west wall of the living room of 2319 Lincoln is an ornamental frieze she painted soon after moving in, depicting scenes from King Arthur, Juliet, and Ivanhoe. This design is representative of those she painted for schools. Along with the mural on the stairway landing, moved here from the home of Harold Ickes, it is one of the few remaining examples of such work.

After leaving the Prang Company and moving to Evanston in 1904, Lucy worked from her home, primarily the third-floor studio. In 1904-1905, St. Nicholas children's magazine printed pictures which she had drawn and accompanied with original verse. These were published in The Goose Girl in 1906. She wrote and illustrated other books for both schools and the general public over the next few years, but was primarily an illustrator for other until she wrote The Dutch Twins in 1911. This book began a series of 25 books written about the adventures of sets of twins from different lands and times. The last book in the series, The Dutch Twins and Little Brother, was finished by Eleanor and Lawrence Perkins in 1938, after their mother's death. According ~o Houghton Mifflin, Lucy's publisher, she was their most profitable author over a 25-year period. The books were used as primers and as background reading for the social sciences in elementary schools, as well as sold to the general public. Over two million copies of the Twins books were published before Lucy's death, including large-type editions and translations in several languages.

Lucy's writing was significant in changing the point of view of children's books. In 1960, the Chicago Board of Education dedicated the Lucy Fitch Perkins School (recently demolished) as a tribute to her contributions in the field of children's literature. Her books were noteworthy for their authenticity and humor and were extremely popular with children. One of the ways Lucy achieved this was by trying out her stories on a group of neighborhood children. Meeting in the house or in the yard around the pool, she would read her manuscripts to a group of children she called "the poison squad. " They regarded themselves as her assistants and helped edit her manuscripts.

The books were also significant for the theme they prese n ted. Lucy felt children all over the world were natural friends. She sought to make them conscious that other children, no matter their race or nationality, were their brothers, a theme she had used in her design for the Chicago Settlement years before. She stated often that her purpose was to break down racial prejudice and promote respect among the many national groups settling in America, as well as provide an education in history and geography. In 1936 copies of the Twins books were placed in the League of Nations Library in Switzerland because of the assistance they rendered to international friendship.

Eleanor Ellis Perkins (1893-1969), the daughter of Dwight and Lucy, was a writer and lecturer. Her work includes plays produced at the Goodman Children's Theatre and Evanston Children's Theatre from 1925 to 1930, several books including Eve Among the Puritans and Katrinka, columns for Evanston newspapers, and articles for the Christian Science Monitor. She was a founding member of the Evanston League of Women Voters and the Evanston Art Commission.

Lawrence Bradford Perkins (1907), Dwight and Lucy's son, is a prominent architect of commercial, residential and institutional buildings and a Fellow of the AlA. The founder of The Perkins and Will Partnership, a nationally known firm specializing in school architecture, he received the 1975 Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of School Administrators for his services to education. After retiring from active practice, he became a professor of architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has also been active in civic affairs, contributing a great deal as a member of the Evanston Plan Commission, 1946-1962, chairing it for all but the years 1952-1958.

Margery Blair Perkins (1907-1981) was married to Lawrence Perkins. "Midge" was the author or editor of a number of books and publications about Evanston, its history, and architecture. She was elected Trustee Emeritus of the Evanston Historical Society, in which she had been actively involved since 1954, and was a founding member of the Evanston Preservation Commission. In the foreword to Evanstonian, which Margery was writing at the time of her death, Mikell Darling, Executive. Director of the Evanston Historical Society says, " a generous measure of credit for what the society has accomplished during the last twenty-five years is due to Midge Perkins."

Several of Dwight's designs, including Hitchcock Hall (1901) at the University of Chicago and buildings that are included in the Lake Forest, Hyde Park-Kenwood, Evanston Ridge and Evanston Lakeshore Historic Districts have been listed on the National Register. However, none of these designs have the broad significance of the Perkins family home, which is not only representative of the Arts and Crafts movement in architecture, but was the center of their lives' work. These are all people who wanted to make the world, or at least their corner of it, more enlightened.