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Photograph of Grosse Point Light
Photograph by User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Grosse Point Light Station

A National Historic Landmark. Built in 1873. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

From the record

“The historic Grosse Point Light is located in Evanston, Illinois. Following several shipping disasters near Evanston, residents successfully lobbied the federal government for a lighthouse.”

Wikipedia article Grosse Point Light, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 621 National Register listings published here for Cook County · listed in 1976 · category: Structure · built in 1873, by Orlando Metcalfe Poe · a National Historic Landmark.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • National Historic Landmark. The highest federal designation, held by about 2,600 places in the country against roughly 100,000 Register listings.
  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 5 buildingss, 1 structure as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. 2601 Sheridan Rd., Evanston, 60201
  • When was it listed? September 1976
  • Category. structure
  • City. Evanston city
  • When was it built? 1873
  • Architect. Orlando Metcalfe Poe
  • National Register reference number. 76000707 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

The ground it stands on

90,367 words

The chapter on Evanston City in History of Cook County, Illinois. From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, published 1884 names Evanston. This is what it says, exactly as the scans read.

LOl'lS K. OIl.liSt)N, pension attorney, willed in Chicago in May, WVX and in Evanstoii in May. 18H1. From the year 188LI lie was engaged in prosecuting soldiers' claims in Cleveland. Ohio, until 1*7.5. and in IH'trott from that time until the year 1870. He came to Chicago and established a branch office of the house of Milo It. Stevens A. Co.. of which lie was a member. Since April 1. 1**2. Mr. Gillso'u has been carrying <m the same business, that of pension attorney, under his own name, and ha* latelv started an agency fur Western lands and Tor the transaction of business before the land-office at Washington under the tinmeofttillson. Benjamin*; Co. Mr.liillson is a member of the First Baptist Church of Evanston. He married Miss Ida A. Bartholomew, of Warren. Ohio, June 10. 1*74. Thcv liavc three children -Cornelia, Burton C. and Milo B.

Passage source: History of Cook County, Illinois. From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, published 1884.

ORENE. LOCKE, director of the Conservatory of Music of the Northwestern University, was born in Chester, Vt., in January, 1842. His musical education was obtained in Lt-ipsic and Weimar, Germany. On his return to the United States in 18*7, ho accepted the position of director of the department of music of Genesee College, in New York. In 1808 he returned to Boston, having been engaged asateat-her in the Boston Conservatory of Music, where he remained for nearly nine years. In 1877, he severed his connection with that institution, to assume the management of the department of music of the Northwestern University, at Evanston.

Passage source: History of Cook County, Illinois. From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, published 1884.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Evanston City - 90,367 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.

Mines and quarries near this property

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Grosse Point Light Station: 4 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Evanston City EngStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Morton Grove City Eng. - Own CrewsStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Wilmette City Eng. - Own CrewsStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Winnetka City Eng. - Own CrewsStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Cook County

Storms near this property

44 since 2000

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Evanston, the town this property stands in, in 44 storm reports between 2000 and 2024: 24 thunderstorm wind, 16 hail, 2 flood, 1 heavy rain. The reports record 7 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2008Thunderstorm WindEvanston6 hurt, $5,000Trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down. Six people suffered minor injuries when numerous tents were blown down at an art fair.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindEvanston1 hurtA 2.5 foot diameter tree about 30 feet tall was uprooted near Kedzie Street and Sheridan Road. Numerous large trees were blown down in the Rogers Park area. One man was injured by a falling tree near Touhy Avenue.
July 2023Flash FloodEvanston$500,000,000Throughout much of central Cook County including Chicago and nearby suburbs, very heavy rainfall caused widespread flash flooding of roadways and structures. During a 12-hour period from 3 AM to 3 PM CST, storm total rainfall in Cook County ranged from 1-9 inches, with the highest amounts in central Cook County near the border of Chicago, Cicero, and Oak Park. The magnitude of this rainfall ranged from typical to extreme, with the peak rainfall estimated to have less than a 0.2% chance of occurring in a given year. Two distinct waves of heavy rainfall occurred in the Chicago area during this event, with each period of heavy rainfall corresponding to significant flooding.||The first wave of heavy rainfall impacted the Chicago area from 4:30 AM to 11 AM CST. Within a few hours numerous residential streets were flooded and I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway) was blocked in multiple locations, as well as a stretch of I-55 (Stevenson Expressway) near Pulaski Road. Multiple water rescues were reported, most of which occurred at underpasses in Chicago and the immediate western suburbs. Runoff quickly entered the deep tunnel system and mostly filled McCook Reservoir, greatly reducing storage capacity for additional rainfall.||After a brief period with lighter rainfall intensities from 11 AM to 12:30 PM CST, the second wave of heavy began, which occurred until 3:30 PM CST. This additional rainfall brought renewed flooding of numerous roadways as well as portions of CTA's blue and pink El train lines. The storage capacity of the deep tunnel and McCook Reservoir were exceeded, with most rainfall flowing into the Chicago River system as part of a combined sewer overflow event. The Chicago River quickly rose to minor flood stage, flooding the Chicago Riverwalk. MWRD opened gates at Chicago Lock to reverse the flow of the river into Lake Michigan, causing a mixture of rainfall and untreated sewage to enter the lake. The lack of capacity to store combined rain water and sewage caused rainfall to back up into 10s of thousands of basements. As of November 29th, 2023, FEMA had received nearly 75,000 claims for flooded homes, the majority of which are assumed to be basement flooding. Approximately $285 million in FEMA individual assistance grants were provided, along with $96.5 million in low-interest SBA loans. These federal disaster assistance programs only cover a portion of uninsured losses. Few claims, less than $1 million in total, were made to the National Flood Insurance program due to the low percentage of residents paying for such polices and the cause of most instances of flooding being related to sewer backup. The estimated total damage costs from this flash flood event are likely in excess of $500 million.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindEvanston$1,000A seven inch diameter tree was snapped at the base and fell onto a car near South Boulevard and Sheridan Road.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindEvanston-Multiple large tree branches were downed along Orrington Ave and Sheridan Rd near the Northwestern University campus.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindEvanston-Private weather station KILEVANS56 recorded a 62 mph gust in Evanston.
April 2023HailEvanston-Ping pong ball size hail dented roofs and cars.
August 2022Thunderstorm WindEvanston-Multiple large tree limbs and small trees were blown down.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindEvanston-Several large trees were uprooted or snapped in Evanston.
April 2020HailEvanston-Multiple reports of golf ball to baseball size hail were received from Evanston.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindEvanston-A portion of a large tree was blown down.
September 2018Heavy RainEvanston-Rainfall of 1.25 inches was measured in 30 minutes.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindEvanston-Tree limbs were blown down.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindEvanston-A few large limbs downed. Radar estimated time.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindEvanston-A few large limbs downed. Radar estimated time.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindEvanston-Tree down on car across Callan Avenue near Howard St. in Evanston. Time estimated by radar.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindEvanston-Several 6 inch diameter branches down in Evanston. In Wilmette, IL lightning struck and downed a 30 ft long branch which took down power lines with an estimated 200 homes without power. Winds estimated at 60 mph on Dempster St just west of Skokie Blvd in Skokie, IL.
November 2013HailEvanston-Quarter size hail was reported near Sheridan Road and South Boulevard.
November 2013FloodEvanston-The 500 block of Sheridan Road in Evanston was flooded with 6 to 8 inches of water.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindEvanston-Numerous large tree limbs were blown down onto streets.
August 2011HailEvanston-Penny size hail fell at Davis Street and Oak Avenue.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindEvanston-Wind gusts estimated to 65 mph blew down at least six large trees in Loyola Park near the lakefront. Diameters were estimated between 18 and 24 inches.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindEvanston-Tree limbs eight to ten inches in diameter were blown down in Rogers Park. Wind gusts were estimated to 65 mph.
June 2008HailEvanston-Penny to quarter size hail was reported in Evanston.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindEvanston-The top of a large tree was blown to the ground along Ridge Avenue.
August 2008FloodEvanston-Yard flooding was reported with two inches of rain.
September 2006HailEvanston-Quarter size hail was reported on the north side of Evanston.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindEvanston-A large tree was blown down near Keeney and Sheridan Roads.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindEvanston-A large tree fell and blocked part of South Boulevard.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindEvanston-Large tree branches were blown down at corner of Sherman Road and Main Street.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindEvanston-A one foot diameter tree was down at the intersection of Dodge Avenue and McCormick Boulevard.
April 2023HailEvanston-no account filed
August 2021Thunderstorm WindEvanston-no account filed
February 2017HailEvanston-no account filed
August 2015HailEvanston-no account filed
August 2015HailEvanston-no account filed
November 2013HailEvanston-no account filed
May 2012HailEvanston-no account filed
April 2010HailEvanston-no account filed
April 2010HailEvanston-no account filed
April 2010HailEvanston-no account filed
October 2006HailEvanston-no account filed
June 2002Thunderstorm WindEvanston-no account filed
May 2000Thunderstorm WindEvanston-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Cook County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Northeast Evanston Historic District0.2 miles1999
Roycemore School0.2 miles1987
Edward Kirk Warren House and Garage0.4 miles1986
Rookwood Apartments0.5 miles1984
Shakespeare Garden0.5 miles1988
Castle Tower Apartments0.5 miles1984

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 76000707 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Cook CountyAll 621 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.