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C+History
History · Glenview

Glenview’s post office opened in 1895, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 36% of U.S. towns · #501 of 768 in Illinois. What drives it

Most of Glenview was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Kennicott's Grove, a National Historic Landmark. Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1910.

1895first post office
2on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
18old photos & papers
8famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Glenview’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Glenview began

When was Glenview founded?

1895

The Glenview post office opened in 1895, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1899. Another post office, West Northfield (1853), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 652 in 19102020 census: 48,705131 years

How historic is Glenview?

C+

More historic than 36% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Glenview post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1899.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Glenview’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Glenview is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #501 of 768 in Illinois. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Glenview’s overall grade.
Founding era1895, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19403.9% of homes (±1.7) · typical IL town 10.6% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register2 listings, 0.4 per 10,000 residents · typical IL town 0.5 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 36%
NewerOlder
Illinois towns of 2,500+ (768)Ahead of 35%

Few Illinois towns list much on the Register (a typical Illinois town has 0.5 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Glenview’s 0.4 sits near the middle of its state (59% of Illinois towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±1.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1899 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Glenview’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Glenview, and 7 old place names are still on the map.A town in old photos18 old photos, postcards and papers, 1910–1942.On the map since 19007 editions of the USGS map, 1900 to 1993. Watch Glenview change.A National Historic Landmark2 places on the National Register, including Kennicott's Grove, a National Historic Landmark.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Glenview’s post office has been open since 1895. Another post office, West Northfield, opened and closed inside today’s town.

West Northfield
1853–1886
Glenview
1895–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Brockdale ManorIndian RidgeNorthfield WoodsThe GroveThe WillowsWestfieldWillows North
Gone or out of use
Glenview Naval Air Stationmilitary
1cemetery inside Glenview
Sunset Memorial Lawns

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

By decade

Glenview, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s–1930s9 items
Mcready crashes at air races1910Mcready crashes at air racesCurtiss Airport1930Curtiss AirportTransfusion donor bottles, Baxter Lab1939Transfusion donor bottles, Baxter LabTwo Navy wives, Eva Herzberg and Elve Burnham, entered war work after their husbands joined the service1939Two Navy wives, Eva Herzberg and Elve Burnham, entere…Formerly a sculptress and designer of tiles, Dorothy Cole converted her basement into a workshop to tin plate needles f…1939Formerly a sculptress and designer of tiles, Dorothy …Formerly a sculptress and designer of tiles, Dorothy Cole converted her basement into a workshop to tin plate needles f…1939Formerly a sculptress and designer of tiles, Dorothy …Transfusion donor bottles, Baxter Lab1939Transfusion donor bottles, Baxter LabTransfusion donor bottles, Baxter Lab1939Transfusion donor bottles, Baxter LabTransfusion donor bottles, Baxter Lab1939Transfusion donor bottles, Baxter Lab
1940s9 items
Production. Blood transfusion bottles. Laboratories assembly line at Baxter Laboratories1942Production. Blood transfusion bottles. Laboratories a…Production. Blood transfusion bottles. In a small plant operating under subcontract, O. Trumbull Scalbom and S.B. Nicho…1942Production. Blood transfusion bottles. In a small pla…Production. Blood transfusion bottles. In a small plant working under subcontract, John Kerr operates a turret lathe fo…1942Production. Blood transfusion bottles. In a small pla…Production. Blood transfusion bottles. In a small plant working under subcontract, John Kerr operates a turret lathe fo…1942Production. Blood transfusion bottles. In a small pla…Production. Blood transfusion bottles. Packed and ready for shipment to blood banks, transfusion bottles containing int…1942Production. Blood transfusion bottles. Packed and rea…Production. Blood transfusion bottles. Employed by a local subcontractor for Baxter Laboratories Inc1942Production. Blood transfusion bottles. Employed by a …Production. Blood transfusion bottles. Preparing transfusion bottles for blood letting, Elizabeth Homan (left), and Nan…1942Production. Blood transfusion bottles. Preparing tran…Production. Blood transfusion bottles. Sealing blood transfusion bottles with rubber diaphrams and aluminum closures at…1942Production. Blood transfusion bottles. Sealing blood …Production. Blood transfusion bottles. Loading blood transfusion bottles into trucks, prior to sterilization. One of th…1942Production. Blood transfusion bottles. Loading blood …
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
On the map

Glenview on the map, 1900 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Glenview. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Glenview on the 1900 USGS mapGlenview on the 1929 USGS mapGlenview on the 1953 USGS mapGlenview on the 1963 USGS mapGlenview on the 1972 USGS mapGlenview on the 1980 USGS mapGlenview on the 1993 USGS map1900Highwood sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Glenview.

The story

How Glenview came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Glenview.

Read it all →

The entire Northfield Township originally was known as the town of Northfield. There were different names for various areas within the community. The Post Office demanded that an official name be selected, whereupon a special meeting of the villagers was called. Various names were suggested such as Rugenville, Glenvarr, Glendale, Glengrove, Glen Hollow, Oak View, and Glenview. The name Glenview won the majority vote on May 7, 1895. The village was incorporated in 1899. Much of the Glenview area remained farmland but after World War II, developers such as Tom Sullivan began to give the township its current suburban appearance.

ChaptersThe ParkNaval Air Station

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Glenview, 1853 to 1994

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1853Post officeThe West Northfield post office opens
  3. 1886Post officeThe West Northfield post office closes
  4. 1895Post officeThe Glenview post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1910In the archiveMcready crashes at air races
  8. 1930In the archiveCurtiss Airport
  9. 1942In the archiveProduction. Blood transfusion bottles. Laboratories assembly line at Baxter Laboratories
  10. 1943Born hereJohn A. Lynn is born here
  11. 1976LandmarkKennicott's Grove named a National Historic Landmark
  12. 1977Born hereSam Witwer is born here
  13. 1989Born hereAlice Lee is born here
  14. 1994Born hereOlivia Smoliga is born here
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Mcready crashes at air races
Retake this viewMcready crashes at air races, 1910

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Glenview’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Glenview

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmark
1
Kennicott's Grove
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Kennicott's Grove
Hangar 1, Naval Air Station-GlenviewKennicott's Grove★
Buildings★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Modern Movement1
International Style1
★ Landmark
Kennicott's GroveBuilding
Hangar 1, Naval Air Station-GlenviewModern Movement

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Glenview, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00019201940196019802000202048,705

Grew from 652 people in 1910 to 48,705 in 2020, more than tenfold.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Glenview’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

8 famous people were born in Glenview

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Sam WitwerAmerican actor · b. 1977
Olivia SmoligaAmerican swimmer · b. 1994
A
Alice LeeAmerican actress · b. 1989
John A. LynnAmerican military historian · b. 1943
Kelley Menighan HensleyAmerican actress · b. 1967
J
Jim MeyerAmerican football player · b. 1963
Help out

Finish Glenview’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewMcready crashes at air races: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

NorthbrookIts storyDWilmette14 historic placesANorthfieldIts storyC−Niles1 historic placeB−GolfIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDes Plaines2 historic placesA−Morton Grove1 historic placeCSkokie5 historic placesB+Northfield Township2 historic placesC+Prospect HeightsIts storyD

Questions about Glenview’s history

What year was Glenview founded?

The Glenview post office opened in 1895, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1899.

How does Glenview rank for history?

Glenview is more historic than 36% of U.S. towns, #501 of 768 in Illinois. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Glenview?

Two places: the Kennicott's Grove (listed 1973) and the Hangar 1, Naval Air Station-Glenview (1998).

How old are the homes in Glenview?

4% of Glenview’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 11% for an Illinois town; the median home was built in 1977.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From the Library of Congress (18), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.