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Cedar Crest Addition Historic District

Historic district
In Normal, Illinois
0.5 mi from Route 66
National Register of Historic Places

Cedar Crest Addition, a historic residential neighborhood near Bloomington, IL, sits in the town of Normal, close to the old Route 66 corridor. Built from 1914 to 1930, it was Normal's first large planned subdivision, laid out with curving, tree-lined streets and filled with Craftsman houses. It helped turn a rural-feeling town into a modern suburb, and it makes a calm walk for anyone who enjoys early 20th-century homes.

What is Cedar Crest Addition Historic District?

The neighborhood runs from Division Street on the south to Highland Avenue on the north, and from Fell Avenue on the west to the Constitution Trail on the east. Its streets curve rather than follow a strict grid, an idea borrowed from the City Beautiful movement, and trees line them. Architect Aaron T. Simmons drew up a large share of its homes in the American Craftsman style, then new to Normal.

History of Cedar Crest Addition Historic District

Before Cedar Crest, Normal had no paved streets and no townwide electric, sewer or water service, and it felt more like countryside than a Bloomington suburb. Simmons and planner Burt Marley Kuhn set out to change that with an organized, well-equipped subdivision. It gave Normal a more modern image, and in the 1920s a local historian ranked it among the town's most important additions. It joined the National Register on November 15, 2006.

Visiting Cedar Crest Addition Historic District: tips

The district is about 0.1 miles from the old road. These are private homes, so enjoy them from the sidewalk. The Camelback Bridge is only about 0.2 miles away, and Franklin Square is about 0.7 miles off.

Practical info

On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

On the map

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Cedar Crest Addition Historic District with the 6 closest stops. Tap a marker for details.

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Stops near Cedar Crest Addition Historic District

All of Illinois

Camelback Bridge

Normal, Illinois · 0.6 mi from Route 66

A humpbacked old bridge on iron Phoenix columns, arching over a rail-trail in Normal.

Historic bridgePhoto credit

0.2 mi from Cedar Crest Addition Historic District

Franklin Square

Bloomington, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A leafy Bloomington square framed by the homes of a vice president and a governor.

Historic districtPhoto credit

0.7 mi from Cedar Crest Addition Historic District

Illinois Museum of Natural History

Normal, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A long-gone 1800s science museum that once filled a floor of the Illinois Normal School near Bloomington.

MuseumPhoto credit

1.0 mi from Cedar Crest Addition Historic District

White Building

Bloomington, Illinois · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A five-story red brick commercial block from 1894, built for a Bloomington furniture business.

Historic buildingPhoto credit

1.0 mi from Cedar Crest Addition Historic District

Fell Arboretum

Normal, Illinois · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A tree collection spread across the Illinois State University campus in Normal, a short hop off Route 66.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

1.1 mi from Cedar Crest Addition Historic District

David Davis III & IV House

Bloomington, Illinois · 0.7 mi from Route 66

A Colonial Revival Bloomington house tied to the family of Supreme Court Justice David Davis.

Historic buildingPhoto credit

1.1 mi from Cedar Crest Addition Historic District

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