DIRECTIONS TO THE 1950s PARK FOREST HOUSE MUSEUM
The Museum is closed at the 395-397 Forest location. We are open in our new home at 141 Forest Blvd as of December 1, 2007. You can reach the society via our email at parkforesthistory1atyahoo.com. Please enjoy our virtual tour.
There are three main approaches to the 1950'S Park Forest House Museum in Park Forest, Illinois, 141 Forest Boulevard.
Scroll down to see which approach is best for you. For all approaches: if there is no street parking, you may park at the Police Station at Lakewood and Forest, or at the shopping center. If construction on Western allows, you can go to the end of Fir and park in the Trinity Lutheran Church lot, across Western. You can drop people off at the museum, first.
Directions for Route 1:
Take I-57 to Lincoln Highway East exit. Proceed past Lincoln Mall and all the other strip shopping centers along there. You will cross Governors Highway/Crawford, and Kedzie/211th Street. Come under the Metra commuter railway station at 211th Street.
The next stoplight is Orchard Drive. You will turn right. A large lighted sign at that corner points to the Downtown and the Park Forest movie theater.
Turn right at the light and come 6 long blocks.
On the right you will pass a large park, a swimming pool complex and the library.
At the light after the library ( Lakewood and Orchard), turn left. Come down Lakewood in the left hand lane to Forest Blvd. At the light, turn left. Come down to the next street on the right, Fir. On the corner, you will see a Central Park Townhomes sign. The museum is in 141 Forest, at the corner of Forest and Fir, on the right hand side (the southeast corner.) There is parking on the street. You may need to drive around a bit to find a spot. If street parking is not available, you may need to go back to the shopping center at Lakewood and Forest. You may need to walk about 1/2 to 2 blocks, across the street. You may pull into the court to drop off passengers, or you may pull up to the curb to drop off passengers.
You should not park in the court.
Directions for Route 2:
Take I-57 to Sauk Trail exit which is both the East and West exit in one.
Turn right at the light and 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, you will turn at Lakewood/Blackhawk, which has a stoplight. You will pass the junior high, cross Westwood and Orchard Drive. Come down Lakewood in the left hand lane to Forest Blvd. At the light at Lakewood and Forest (the Police Station will be on your left), turn left. Come down to the next street on the right, Fir. On the corner, you will see a Central Park Townhomes sign. The museum is in 141 Forest, at the corner of Forest and Fir, on the right hand side (the southeast corner.) There is parking on the street. You may need to drive around a bit to find a spot. If street parking is not available, you may need to go back to the shopping center at Lakewood and Forest. You may need to walk about 1/2 to 2 blocks, across the street. You may pull into the court to drop off passengers, or you may pull up to the curb to drop off passengers.
You should not park in the court.
Directions for Route 3: Western Avenue will be under construction beginning March 1, 2008, from Illinois Street to Steger Road. It sounds like one lane will be open in each direction.
You can approach the museum from Western Avenue which connects to Lincoln Highway and to Sauk Trail. Turn on to Main Street. Main Street has a light. CVS drug store is on the southwest corner.
Drive west on Main to the stop sign at Forest. This is the view early residents had of the shopping center. Turn right on Forest and come through the light at Forest and Lakewood. Come down to the next street on the right, Fir. On the corner, you will see a Central Park Townhomes sign. The museum is in 141 Forest, at the corner of Forest and Fir, on the right hand side (the southeast corner.) There is parking on the street. You may need to drive around a bit to find a spot. If street parking is not available, you may need to go back to the shopping center at Lakewood and Forest. You may need to walk about 1/2 to 2 blocks, across the street. You may pull into the court to drop off passengers, or you may pull up to the curb to drop off passengers.
You should not park in the court.
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.
The address of the 1950s Park Forest House Museum is 141 Forest Boulevard at the corner of Forest and Fir.
We hope you enjoy your visit to the 1950s Park Forest House Museum.
Please enjoy our virtual tour.