New Historical Museum Exhibit on Display in the East Well House Archive
The Riverside Historical Museum proudly presents Riverside in 1896, a photographic record of Riverside, Illinois, in the year 1896.
This exhibition features a selection of photographs that documents the Village of Riverside in 1896. The images and text are selected from the second edition of the book, Riverside 1896, which was published by the Riverside Historical Commission on the one hundredth anniversary of the original publication.
Similar pictorial publications of local communities and their architecture were popular in the latter part of the nineteenth century and continued into the twentieth century.
The images showcase views of Riverside’s residential and commercial architecture as well as picturesque views of the DesPlaines River. Visitors will have the opportunity to view Riverside’s gently curving streets and its abundant landscaped public lands as they were over 114 years ago.
The homes were occupied by many of Riverside’s most prominent citizens. Both the private and public buildings, were designed by nationally-recognized architects, such as William Le Baron Jenney, Joseph L. Silsbee, John C. Cochrane, Frederick Clarke Withers, and Charles F. Whittlesey. Many of the houses, buildings and structures depicted in this exhibit remain in Riverside today although some have been altered.
Come see how after 140 years, the strength of Olmsted and Vaux’s Riverside design remains today an extraordinary example of community design and a place of peace, tranquility, and beauty.
The exhibit is showcased in the newly refurbished East Well House.
The companion book Riverside 1896 is for sale at the museum or can be purchased by mail: To purchase by mail please include a check for $27.00 USD which is $22.00 for the book and $5.00 for postage & handling.
Our mailing address is:
Riverside Historical Commission
27 Riverside Road
Riverside, IL 60546
For any questions, please contact Martha Heine via email at mheine@riversidemuseum.net.