602 Campbell

HISTORIC IMPRESSIONS
The house: George A. Wilhelmi home, 602 Campbell St.

Why it's important....
The Wilhelmi home is an excellent design by noted local architect John. E. Coyle.

Style....
The Wilhelmi home is a simple example of the Colonial revival style. The style is seen here in the small porch which originally was decorated with a wood balustrade across the top. The style is also seen in the shallow eyebrow windows in the roof line, and the quoins, or raised brick details at the corners. Also representative of the style are the multi pane windows and the fan window in the front door.

The History....
The Wilhelmi home is built in an area subdivided by Henry Strickland. Though originally platted at the same time as surrounding streets, this block of Campbell St was slow to grow. The earliest house dates to around 1899. The early years of the 20 th century saw much building, and the Wilhelmi home is one of the later homes on the block.

Plans were drawn by John E. Coyle in 1928, and the home appears to have been built shortly thereafter. The home was owned by the Wilhelmi family from the time of its construction until 2005 when the last of the family died. The home then was sold to the current owner.

Details....
The Wilhelmi home is a wonderful little gem in the area. The design is of a simple Colonial Revival that has been fairly simply done here. It is reflective of the Art Deco streamlined sensibility of broad flat surfaces. The front has few details, just the entry porch and the eyebrow window.

The interior of the home is an excellent time capsule. Because the original family owned it until just recently, there have been very few changes to the interior. When one enters, there is a small entry hall with a staircase tucked to the right and the arched opening to the living room on the left.

The living room is the full rest of the front of the house. There is a dining room behind, and a sun room off to the side. French doors lead to the sunroom from both the living room and dining room. The kitchen is average size for the period, and has a small breakfast room off the back. The upstairs has four bedrooms and a bathroom with original tile.

The woodwork throughout the home is original deep mahogany stain, and is in original condition. The hardwood floors are also in very original condition. One great feature of the house is that many of the original light fixtures still remain in the upstairs rooms, as well as the dining room.

The People....
George Wilhelmi and his wife Lillian first lived on Broadway St between Division and Bridge. They moved to the new home around 1930 and would remain in the home for the rest of their lives. Mr. Wilhelmi was an owner of Wilhelmi Brothers Tire Dealers and Repair, located on Cass St. The other Wilhelmi brother was Arthur C. By the 1950s, Betty Wilhelmi, daughter of George and Lillian shows living in the house. Betty was a nurse at St. Joseph’s hospital, and resided in the home until 2005.

The home was designed by J.E. Coyle. Mr. Coyle was a quite active local architect and designed many homes including the Conway home on Raynor, and the Fitzgerald home on Willow St. His office was in the Cutting building in downtown, and he resided in the Coyle building on Herkimer St.

Among the finest designs by Mr. Coyle are his schools. Among these are F.E. Marsh (demolished), A.O Marshall, T.E. Culbertson, and hid best design in Joliet, Cunningham School on Moran St. This building is the finest example of Art Deco architecture in Joliet.

Today....
The Wilhelmi home was purchased in 2005 by Angelo Proia. He initially purchased the home as investment. When he walked in, he knew the home was a great value, despite the work needed to bring it up to date. He removed the carpeting and cleaned the floors. He brought the original French doors down from the attic and put them back up. He has also remodeled the kitchen, which had been remodeled at some point in the 1940s or 50s. Since he began work, he has fallen in love with the house, and is not sure at this point he would want to sell it. He currently lives in the home and is pleased to be opening his home for the Cathedral Area Housewalk in June this year.

Did you know?.... In the entry hall there is a small telephone niche across from the staircase. This elaborate box housed the phone, which in the 1920s was a very expensive and still fairly luxurious item to have.