A promotional banner for the Evanston History Center divided into four photographic sections with a central blue logo pane. Left Section: A group of people on a guided outdoor tour stand in a grassy courtyard looking up at a historic multi-story brick building. A blue overlay reads, "Walking Tour Season is here." Top Middle-Left Section: A wide exterior shot of the Evanston History Center (Dawes House), a large historic chateauesque mansion featuring orange-brown brick, a prominent stone archway entrance, and conical turrets. Top Middle-Right Section: An interior view of a presentation taking place inside a grand, wood-paneled great hall with an ornate staircase, high ceilings, and a large stained-glass window. An audience sits facing a projector screen. Right Section: Two mannequins showcasing fashion from a museum exhibit. The left mannequin wears a beaded, sleeveless pink 1920s-style dress. The right mannequin wears a collared shirt, necktie, and a chunky knit cardigan. A blue overlay reads, "New Exhibit: Vive la Garçonne." Bottom Center Section: A dark blue rectangular block features the Evanston History Center logo—a stylized shield enclosing a lowercase letter "e"—followed by the text "evanston history center" in white, serif typeface.

The Evanston History Center: A Center to Educate, Inspire and Enrich the People of Evanston.

The Evanston History Center collects, preserves and shares Evanston history to educate, inspire and enrich the people of Evanston.

Through our work, our vision is that the people of Evanston will be grounded in their community and city history, to better understand how history shapes and informs the present. As a result, we will all be stronger students and citizens who care for and participate in the future of Evanston.

Join Us! Become a Member Today

Interior view of a grand, wood-paneled dining room at the Dawes House featuring an ornate vaulted ceiling, a large stone fireplace to the right, and a central table with a green-shaded lamp positioned before a tall triptych window.

Dawes House: Home to the Evanston History Center

Step into the home of Former U.S. Vice President, ambassador to Great Britain, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Charles Gates Dawes.

Charles Gates Dawes’ magnificent home, now a National Historic Landmark, was built by Dr. Robert Sheppard in 1894 on two acres overlooking Lake Michigan. It served as the Dawes family home from 1909 until 1957.

Faithfully restored and carefully conserved, this chateauesque residence, designed by architect Henry Edwards-Ficken, of New York, has twenty-five rooms, including a cherry paneled library, a vaulted dining room with a musicians’ gallery, six bedrooms, and twelve fireplaces.

Tour the Dawes House

A vintage Evanston building permit, number 460, granted to R. D. Sheppard to erect a 2-story frame house consisting of 13 rooms. The dimensions are listed as 103 feet front, 70 feet deep, and 49 feet high.

Historical Records: The Families, Houses, and Neighborhoods of Evanston

Beginning with an early record book rescued from a dustbin in 1898, Evanston History Center’s collections have grown to more than 100,000 artifacts, including decorative arts, rare books, documents, maps, photographs and oral histories, and a nationally renowned Costume Collection.

Our Research Room provides access to a significant archive of historical materials and records, including biographical files, city directories and phone books, building permits, and local newspapers, among other sources. Visit us to learn about your home and community through exploring the archives.

Research the Archives and Collections

epia-toned historical photograph of a busy Evanston street scene with pedestrians walking along the sidewalk and vintage cars parked along the curb. Large leafy trees line the street, partially shading the storefronts and theater marquee in the background.

Talks@EHC: Explorations of History, Civic Engagement, and Community

Our Talks@EHC, the Evanston History Center’s discussion series, provides opportunities for Evanstonians to learn together about our city and its people. Through a wide range of topics-presented by authors, scholars, historians, local leaders, artists, and multi-generational residents-audiences explore their shared history and the meaning of community.

Talks@EHC take place in the warm and welcoming setting of the historic Dawes House, as well as at locations in other areas of Evanston, and are often hosted in partnership with other organizations. Each talk includes open dialogue and sharing. Talks@EHC reflect the diversity of peoples, stories, and perspectives in our City, emphasizing what we can learn from each other. Through Talks@EHC, Evanstonians discover new ways that their own lives and stories connect to the bigger picture of our community, our city, and our world.

Join us for Talks@EHC

A wide-angle black and white historical photograph showing a group of people in late 19th-century attire, including hats and formal coats, looking out from a high vantage point. In the distance, the ornate, domed Administration Building of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition is visible against a hazy horizon.

“The Most Beautiful City in the World.” -Daniel Burnham

Explore the wonderful diversity of Evanston’s beautiful architecture, from the Greek Revival and Gothic, through Queen Anne and Tudor Revival, to the Prairie School and mid-century modern.

Discover the architecture of Evanston’s hometown architects: Daniel Burnham, William Holabird, Dwight Perkins, Myron Hunt, and Thomas Tallmadge. Learn the stories of the homeowners who hired them, as well as architects, such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Burley Griffin, George Maher, and John Van Bergen.

Explore Evanston on a Walking Tour

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