Barrington Historic District

Barrington Historic District is a 92-acre residential area in southwest Barrington bounded by railway tracks, Dundee Avenue, Hillside Street, and Grove Street. The area contains homes in American Craftsman, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Neoclassical, and Queen Anne styles dating from 1860 to 1930.

Settlement began in the 1830s, and the area grew rapidly after the arrival of rail connections in 1854. Most homes were built between 1860 and 1930 when the location became a sought-after residential destination for prosperous families.

The residential buildings display architectural styles that reflect the craftsmanship and design preferences of their era. These homes express how affluent families between 1860 and 1930 chose to build and decorate their houses, showing tastes and values of that period.

The area is best explored on foot or by bicycle, with interpretive signs throughout explaining individual properties and their features. The warmer months offer the most pleasant conditions for walking and reading the outdoor information markers.

The Octagon House remains one of the few surviving examples of this eight-sided architectural form in Illinois. This distinctive home demonstrates an experimental building style that gained popularity in 19th-century America but rarely appears today.