| The boundaries of the Oak Circle Historic District have
been drawn to include the properties along the curvilinear
brick street that closely relate to one another in their architectural
style and detailing. They were specifically chosen to emphasize
the styles associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement and
to highlight the unique curve of the street, and the inclusion
of any other connecting streets would lessen the integrity
of the district. To the east of Oak Circle there are eight
houses on the southwest side of Prairie Avenue (formerly Klein
Street) that were also built by A. W. Dickinson, the builder
of many, if not all, of the houses on Oak Circle. However,
the architectural detailing found on most of these homes varies
more than on Oak Circle. There is much more Colonial Revival
influence, and less Arts and Crafts detailing. More significant,
however, is that these homes have suffered a greater loss
of integrity with alterations that include the replacement
of windows, the addition of synthetic siding, and the alteration
of porches. While nearly 50% of the homes on Oak Circle have
no apparent alterations, only 25% of the eight Dickinson-built
houses on Prairie meet the same criteria. Also, Prairie Avenue’s
original brick street has been paved over with asphalt, an
alteration that lessens its historic character from a visual
standpoint.
To the north of Oak Circle is Wilmette Avenue, a major thoroughfare,
and the houses here are a variety of styles and do not exhibit
an architectural cohesiveness with Oak Circle. Wilmette Avenue
is also paved with asphalt. To the west of Oak Circle is 14th
Street and to the south is the 1200-1300 blocks of Maple Avenue.
Both streets still retain their original brick paving and
there are some examples of houses on both that were built
in the Craftsman and Prairie styles, but they are not unified
by location, use of materials, or a common builder. Alterations
to exteriors are also more apparent. In addition, there is
one brand-new home in the 1200 block of Maple Avenue that
replaced a Craftsman-style home. This new home is not built
on the same scale as the houses around it, and it has no architectural
features to tie it to the period homes on the street. |
