A Historic Journey Now Complete!

July 22, 2026 – Proudly announcing the installation of the National Register of Historic Places plaque in Gillson Park! Installation of a bronze plaque set in stone at the south end of Gilson Park was completed on July 10. The plaque reads “Gillson Park and Wilmette Harbor Historic District has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior, 2024.” The installation of this plaque is the last step of the long journey of this prestigious designation.

Since 1911, Gillson Park (originally Washington Park) has been under the stewardship of the Wilmette Park District. However, Gillson’s National Register nomination was the work of Julia Bachrach and co-author Malcolm Cairns who tirelessly catalogued the history of Gillson Park and Wilmette Harbor, producing the extensive 73-page nomination form which was sponsored by Landmark Illinois in 2022, furthering the nomination process. In October 2023, the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council voted to recommend the nomination for Gillson Park and Wilmette Harbor for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. From there, the State Historic Preservation Office forwarded the nomination to the Keeper of the National Register in Washington for final determination.

It was announced in May 2024 that Gillson Park and Wilmette Harbor were officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The United States Department of the Interior and National Park Service bestowed the designation on Gillson Park and Wilmette Harbor as an “important work of landscape architecture” that adds “significance to the history of community planning and development in Wilmette.” 

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of properties that merit special attention and preservation. Every Illinois county has at least one property or historic district listed in the National Register. Together, they represent a cross-section of the Prairie State’s history from its early settlement to the mid-20th century.