Village of Villa Park history

In 1916 Jeanette Bates was appointed first village attorney.

York High School was opened for Elmhurst and Villa Park students in 1924.

The St Alexander’s school was built in 1925 because he felt it was needed more than the church building.

In February 1928, the club held its first library fundraising event at the Villard Theatre.

In 1929 the post purchased the old Community Congregational Church for its headquarters.

In 1931, despite the hard times, Villa Park had the lowest crime rate in DuPage County.

Oval­tine has been an official supplier to the Summer and Winter Olympics since 1932.

She is best known for writing in 1936 the first history of Villa Park

Feeling the library should be tax-supported, the club vigorously campaigned in favor of a May 1943 referendum to create a truly public library, funded by property taxes and with a public board to oversee operations.

In May 1945, the library was open from 1:00 to 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

The Wander Company donated another $1,000 for books in 1947.

An organization called “Library Friends” was created in April 1951, to support library needs and focus community attention on library services and facilities.

In September 1954, the village board learned that Trinity Lutheran Church planned to build a new building, directly across from the existing church on Ardmore.

In January 1956, she started the library’s first book discussion group, a Great Books group.

The Chicago Aurora Elgin Railroad abruptly ceased running on July 3, 1957 stranding commuters in the city.

In 1959 Willowbrook High School opened to alleviate massive overcrowding at nearby York High School, enrolling 1,950 students.

In 1965 Villa Park celebrated its Golden Jubilee.

In 1967, the state gave approval for a $160,000 building grant and the Library board held a referendum on April 18 to raise the rest of the money to build a new building on basically the same site as the building in use.

The new building opened on August 4, 1969, and was dedicated on October 19, 1969.

In 1977 the Villa Park Historical Society was incorporated, as was the Historical Commission, an arm of the village government.

He was followed by Florence Roselli, who served as administrator until April 1979, taking the Library through its 50th anniversary celebration.

On November 11, 1980 the Preservation Commission placed the former train station on the National Register of Historic Places because of its significant historic value.

The Odeum opened in 1983 and is a multipurpose facility for entertainment, the fourth largest free-span building in the United States.

In January 1985, the Villa Park Chamber of Commerce moved into the former Ardmore Train Station and continues to operate as an asset to the Business Community.

In 1988, Villa Park received the coveted Governor's Hometown Honorable Mention Award, for their three year volunteer campaign to install ornamental memorial lighting on the Villa Park Prairie Path.

The Library could not maintain existing services on the lower tax rate, and by 1995 the Library was reducing services–cutting back on hours, freezing salaries, and holding small fundraising events to try to overcome some of the deficit.