DIRECTIONS TO THE 1950s PARK FOREST HOUSE MUSEUM

The Museum is open in our new home at 227 Monee Road (inside St. Mary's Catholic Church), Park Forest, IL 60466, as of August 1, 2015. You can reach the society via our email here

Directions for Route 1:

Take I-57 to Stuenkel Road exit. Proceed past Governors State University. You will cross Cicero Avnue and Governors Highway/Crawford. You will cross the Metra Tracks.

Come to where Stuenkel dead ends in a "T" intersection at Monee Road.  Turn left. Come to St. Mary's Catholic Church.  At the first small lot you see, which has a flagpole, pull in and park.  Knock on the classroom door next to the museum sign in the window.  If that sidewalk is not clear due to weather, the docent should be watching.  If he/she does not open the door and tell you they will meet you at another door, yell and he/she should hear you. 

There is a cell phone in the museum.  If turned on, it is 708-829-5709.  Optional phone numbers in case no volunteer is there:  Jane at 708-481-4252; or 708-638-4815; or Mike at 708-305-3308.

Directions for Route 2: 

Take I-57 to Sauk Trail exit which is both the East and West exit in one.
Turn at the light to travel East. Follow Sauk Trail through Richton Park and into Park Forest. You will cross Cicero, Governors Highway, and go under a train viaduct.

In Park Forest, turn right at Indianwood Blvd, which has a stoplight. Come down Indianwood, several blocks until it ends in a "T" intersection at Monee Road.  Turn right.  Just after the curve, you will see Church of St. Mary.  Come to the second parking lot with the flagpole.  Park close to the building.  Knock on the classroom door next to the museum sign.

See additional information at the end of Route 1 above.   Entrance

Directions for Route 3:

You can approach the museum from Western Avenue which connects to Lincoln Highway and to Sauk Trail. [Warning about taking Western Avenue: Western Avenue is crossed by Canadian National Railroad, which will have drastically increased train traffic over the next few years. From Western Avenue, turn on to Monee Road. Monee Road is between Sauk Trail and Steger Road. You can only turn west at this light. 

At the stop sign, take a moment to look at the large home on the left side of the road.  This was the home of Philip M. Klutznick, president of American Community Builders.  Proceed through the stop sign for several more blocks. You will pass Orchard Boulevard and Indianwood Boulevard.  Just after Indianwood, you will take a curve. You will see Church of St. Mary.  Come to the second parking lot with the flagpole.  Park close to the building.  Knock on the classroom door next to the museum sign.

See additional information at the end of Route 1 above.

Directions for Route 4:

You can take Lincoln Highway to Orchard Drive.  At the end of the shopping center, you will come to a "Stop" sign at Indianwood Boulevard.  Turn tight and drive down Indianwood until it ends in a "T" intersection at Monee Road.Turn right. Just after the curve, you will see Church of St. Mary. Come to the second parking lot with the flagpole. Park close to the building. Knock on the classroom door next to the museum sign.

See additonal insturctions at the end of Route 1 directions, with phone numbers.

Advantage of Lincoln Highway/Orchard Drive route:

The advantage to the Lincoln Highway route is that you will pass through several housing styles as you drive along Orchard Boulevard. If you have not been here before, that is the better view of the town. You especially get the feeling for green space and see the view of the rentals which the early residents would have gotten. Keep in mind as you drive that the stretch of town from Lincoln Highway up to Westwood Street/26th Street did not exist until the mid to late 1950s. The houses in that section were not built until the late 1950s to early 1960s. The only access in and out of town was via Sauk Trail or Western Avenue.

Look to your left and you will see Area J of the original 3010 rental townhomes.  You can see many more by driving down Western Avenue.

You will pass the Wetlands Reclamation area on your right, The Aqua Center--once the largest pool complex in Illinois, Park Forest Public Library, and Downtown Park Forest, which was one of the first or second shopping centers in the world. It is much changed now, but there are photographs of it as it was before in the museum and Archive.  As you drive down Indianwood, you will be driving on one of the first "For Sale Home" streets in Park Forest.  These houses were built beginning in 1950.

We hope you enjoy your visit to the 1950s Park Forest House Museum.

If you are interested in Park Forest's history, the museum has a copy of a driving tour which can be checked out for a $5 deposit.

Restaurants in the vicinity include:  Dunagain's, on Orchard Drive, south of Lakewood Blvd, a bar which serves food; a fun 1950s McDonald's on Lincoln Highway just west of Western;  Chicago Dough Company on Sauk Trail in Richton Park, just before Governors Highway; and Carlo's which is a few blocks East of Western on Route 30. Schoop's,  is a 1950s-type restaurant with fountain drinks, in a Monee strip mall at the Monee Exit off of 57--also accessible if you follow Governors Highway down to the signs for 57. There is also a nice family-style restaurant on Western just south of Route 30, the Big Apple, only open until mid-afternoon. or Peach Tree Cafe on Lincoln Highway.