Western Avenue - 600 Block

Why it's important

The 600 block of Western Avenue is important for its architectural and historical connections to the development of Joliet.
Style

The 600 block of Western Avenue contains excellent examples of Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Prairie School and American Four Square architecture. These structures are key examples with many of the finest features. Homes such as 608 Western are extremely fine examples of the Colonial Revival style, while 611 Western is an excellent Neo-classical structure.

History

Western Avenue was originally named Cross Street from the mid-19th century through the 1870s. Sometime around 1872, the name changed. The earliest home was located in the 400 block and belonged to the Campbell family, then the Strong family who would develop the area in the 1860s.

Although construction started on Western Avenue in the 1870s, the first home built on the 600 block was the Kinsella home on the corner of Wilcox and Western in the late 1880s. The 1890s saw the addition of several other fine homes such as the fantastic Queen Anne at 602 Western with the unique dormers in the tower and the monumental Stevens home at 600 Western.

During the early 20th century, many other fine homes, including the Arentz home at 611 were designed by local architects. The Arentz home was designed by Herbert Cowell, and the Barrett home at 612 Western was designed by C.W. Webster and is about Joliet's finest Prairie style home.

The 600 block was fully developed by the 1920s, and the area achieved its current look.

Details

Many of the homes in the 600 block of Western still maintain their original features. In fact, many still have original slate and clay tile roofs, one with multicolored tiles and one with green.

Homes such as 602 Western have special features, like the dormer on the tower, that add wonderful character to the structure, while others have stunning stained glass windows on the staircases and by front doors and other various applications.

Another of the fantastic features of the 600 block is the continuity of design between the houses and the garages or carriage houses. Many of these homes have rear structures designed to mimic the main structure using the same design elements such as material or roofing, as well as decorative features.

People

Many of the original residents of the 600 block of Western Avenue read as a ‘Who's Who’ of Joliet at the turn of the century. The Barretts of the hardware store; Eneshia Meers, one of the founders of the Will County Bar Association; County Surgeon Walter Stewart; and other prominent families, such as those of Jerome Stevens and the Cambpells once lived there.

Today

The 600 block of Western is the heart of the Upper Bluff National Register Historic District, and was land-marked as a local historic district for the fantastic architecture and prominent home builders. It has long been noted that the 600 block represents one of the finest cross sections of local architecture in the city of Joliet. Many of the homes received heavy damage in the recent tornado. Some of these are the finest homes on the block.

Did you know?

Joseph Campbell, who originally owned much of the land along Western Avenue, also was responsible for annexing Eastern Avenue to Joliet in 1838.

In Search of Kitty Treat

I'll be posting more details on this later, but I need to start somewhere. My late brother, Seth, would have been 44 this October 30th. I intend to begin posting articles from his Joliet Herald News series Historic Impressions. These are the articles from the second year until his death in 2007, just months shy of his 40th birthday.

It was in the midst of the funeral service at Joliet's Oakwood cemetery that I noticed the headstone next to his burial site. It belongs to a woman who died in the late 1800's by the name of Kitty Treat. I have been back several times to confirm that this is not a figment of my imagination. I know it sounds like the perfect name for a Victorian era stripper or drag queen, and what a picture that paints. The headstone is in excellent condition, a study in black marble. I will be checking the dates and posting them here soon. If anyone has any clues, please contact me.

Thanks,

Cean