The Downers Grove Historical Society and the Downers Grove Museum’s Historic Home Program is pleased to recognize the home at 5306 Washington Street as one of the community’s historic residences. Built in circa 1890 by Winslow Churchill, the house is a fine example of Folk Victorian architecture.
The property sits on Lot 18 of the Curtiss Subdivision, a neighborhood created from land in the Assessors Subdivision of Sections 7 and 8. The subdivision itself dates to September 13, 1881, when the plat for the Curtiss Subdivision was officially recorded in DuPage County. Like many neighborhoods in Downers Grove, the house reflects a period when farmland was gradually divided into residential lots as Downers Grove was growing from a small settlement into a thriving suburban village Folk Victorian homes were common in American towns during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Rather than the elaborate and highly ornate Victorian mansions seen in large cities, Folk Victorian houses adapted popular Victorian decorative elements to simpler, traditional house forms. These homes often feature straightforward layouts paired with decorative details such as ornamental trim, porch brackets, and patterned woodwork. The Washington Street home reflects this tradition, combining a simple residential form with stylistic elements inspired by the Victorian era.
The house has been named for Esther M. Smart as she was the longest resident of the house, residing there from 1904 to 1958. Records show that the house changed hands several times over the decades, reflecting the changing generations who have called it home. In the late 1950s, ownership passed to Keith S. and Joan F. Ebersold, who purchased the property in 1959. Keith was the son of Fred and Marguerite Ebersold, who farmed land south of 59th Street off Main Street—property that is now known as Ebersold Park. Keith attended Downers Grove High School and participated in sports and many service organizations, graduating from there in 1953. Until 1994 Keith and Joan Ebersold loved this home and raised their children there until they sold it in 1994.
In 2019, the home was purchased by Anthony and Samantha Schroeder, who chose to have the house recognized through the Downers Grove Historic Home Program.
While modest in scale, Folk Victorian houses like this one represent the architectural character of everyday life in Downers Grove’s past. By recognizing and documenting these homes, the Historic Home Program helps preserve the stories of the people and places that shaped the village’s history.
5306 Washington Street Historic Home Program Application can be seen here.
