The Henry Bush House

Location: 5239 Carpenter St Downers Grove IL

Building style/form: Queen Anne, Gable-Ell

Date built: 1886

The Henry Bush House: A Legacy Rooted in Downers Grove
5239 Carpenter Street in Downers Grove is a striking Queen Anne-style home that immediately catches the eye. Its gingerbread trim, front gable, tower bay, and leaded glass windows tell of 19th-century craftsmanship—but the real story lies within its walls. Built in 1886, this house is more than a beautiful structure; it’s a living chapter in the village’s history and the legacy of an influential pioneering Downers Grove family.

The Henry Bush House, recently recognized by the Downers Grove Historical Society’s Historic Home Program, was originally constructed by Henry L. Bush and his wife, Calcina “Calla” Belden Bush in 1886. Nestled on nearly an acre, the home included a full attic and a cellar where mushrooms were once cultivated. Over the years, it bore witness to lives of dedication, leadership, and community-building.

By the time Richard and Susan Petersen purchased the home in 1990, it had weathered decades of use—serving as a boarding house which sheltered numerous boarders and multiple families over the years. Longtime neighbors recall winter scenes with bottles of milk lined up on windowsills in every room, kept cold by the outside air. Stories suggest that at one point, each of the rooms in the home housed an entire family.

Determined to honor the home’s history, the Petersens undertook a careful restoration. They preserved distinctive details like the “corner block” moldings, original fireplaces, elegant staircase and beautiful leaded glass and wood built-in sideboard. They had the original windows removed, restored, insulated with double pane glass, and reinstalled. The original wood floors have been repaired and restored. The distinctive crown molding has been painstakingly replaced after the realization that it had been inexplicably removed from every room. The Petersens set out to find period doors to replace the ones which had been removed. The home’s siding is the original redwood clapboard. The home hosts multiple porches with elaborate spindle work, lovingly restored and repaired. In a moment straight from a novel, Richard once unearthed an old tombstone while mowing the lawn—a mystery later solved when the Bush family explained it was a retired headstone, lovingly saved rather than mournfully misplaced.

The Family Behind the House

The home’s builder, Henry L. Bush, was born in 1840 in DuPage County to Edwin A. Bush, one of Downers Grove’s very first settlers. Edwin had arrived from New York in 1835, claiming land near today’s Belmont Station. Alongside his wife, Nancy Stanley (the Stanleys were also a pioneering family), they are recognized as the first family to be formed in Downers Grove.

Henry inherited his parents pioneering spirit. In addition to farming, he served as township assessor and spent eight years on the Illinois State Board of Equalization of Taxes, earning a reputation as a respected public servant across the state. He even found time for recreation—playing third base in the 1860 Downers Grove “Plowboys” baseball game against Wheaton.
Henry and Calla (Belden) Bush, married in 1865 and raised two sons, Guy and King, in the Carpenter Street house. Calla’s mother was Fanny Belden of the Belden Downers Grove pioneering family and her father was Nathan Alonzo, buried in the Main Street Cemetery.

Their son Guy L. Bush, born in 1866 on the family’s earlier farm at Belmont and Hitchcock, carried the family’s sense of civic duty into the next generation. A graduate of Downers Grove High School’s first class, Guy co-founded a drugstore on Main Street, served as President of the Village Board, and spent 12 years in the Illinois House of Representatives, where he began as its youngest member.

Guy’s influence helped shape modern Downers Grove. He advocated for public library support, and helped bring the Avery Coonley School to town. During World War I, he served in the local militia and led efforts for civic improvements as Village Forester and bank president.

Though the Bush family sold the home in 1918, their legacy remains etched into the community—including in street names. Bush Place, a tiny one-block street tucked away just south of 63rd Street and east of Woodward Avenue, honors the Bush family. The street is believed to be named for Henry L. Bush, a tribute to the enduring impact he and his family made on the town. Their story, now preserved through both this historic home and the names that dot the village map, is a testament to resilience, civic leadership, and the value of community.

Today, the Henry Bush House stands not just as a home, but as a symbol—of architecture lovingly preserved, and a family whose legacy continues to shape Downers Grove, from Carpenter Street to Bush Place.