Historic Downtown Dwight

The 1905 First National Bank of Dwight is one of the great hidden gems of Route 66 architectural tourism. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in his early Prairie Style period, the building represents Wright's exploration of what a commercial bank could look like outside the heavy classical idiom that dominated American banking architecture at the turn of the twentieth century. Wright reduced the bank to a single low-slung brick mass with deep overhanging eaves, broad horizontal bands of windows, and geometric brick and terra-cotta ornament around the entrance.

Wright designed three banks in his career: this one, the Frederick C. Robie House related smaller commercial work, and one other no longer standing. Of those, only the Dwight First National Bank remains in continuous use as a bank. The building has been altered over the decades; the original interior banking floor has been modified with modern desks, electronic equipment and security features, but several of the original wood pilasters, the leaded glass skylight pattern and parts of the teller cage remain visible.

Visitors are welcome to step inside during normal banking hours, generally Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday morning until noon. There is no admission fee. Be respectful of customers conducting actual banking business; staff are generally happy to point out architectural features but cannot give formal tours. Photography of the exterior is welcome from public sidewalks at any time.

The 1891 Chicago and Alton Railroad Depot stands at the intersection of Main Street and Mazon Avenue, an unmistakable Richardson Romanesque structure with rough-faced limestone walls, round arched window openings and a tall central turret topped by a conical roof. The architect, Henry Ives Cobb, was best known for major Chicago commissions including the Newberry Library and the original Chicago Athletic Association building, making the Dwight depot one of his most accessible small-town designs.

The depot served the C&A Railroad until passenger service to Dwight declined in the mid-twentieth century. After a brief stint as the village hall, the building was transferred to the Dwight Historical Society and the Chamber of Commerce, which currently occupy the interior. Inside, small exhibits cover the village's railroad heritage, the Keeley Institute, Route 66, and local family histories. Admission is free, restrooms are available, and a small gift shop sells books, postcards and locally made souvenirs.

The depot is a particularly photogenic structure in late afternoon sun, when the limestone glows warm orange and the turret casts a long shadow across the parking area. It is the most photographed building in Dwight after the windmill and the Ambler-Becker Texaco Station. Tour buses regularly stop here, and the Historical Society staff can arrange group tours and behind-the-scenes access by appointment.

A self-guided downtown walking tour, available as a brochure at the depot or the Ambler-Becker visitor center, covers approximately twelve historic structures within a six-block area. Highlights beyond the bank and depot include the 1857 John C. Spencer farmhouse on Mazon Avenue, the John Oughton residence on West South Street, the Catholic and Methodist churches with their respective architectural styles, and several intact storefronts from the 1880s through 1920s with original cast iron columns and pressed metal cornices.

Most downtown shops are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Antique stores, a small bookshop, several gift shops and the typical small-town mix of insurance, real estate and law offices fill the storefronts. Restaurants concentrate near the intersection of Mazon Avenue and East Main Street; the Old Route 66 Family Restaurant is a short drive south but several smaller diners and cafes serve breakfast and lunch within walking distance.

The downtown is genuinely walkable and most of the major sites are within a five-minute walk of each other. Plan about two hours to do a full tour including the bank interior, the depot interior, and a meal at a downtown cafe. Add another hour or two if you also want to drive to the Ambler-Becker Texaco Station, the windmill and the Keeley Institute historical sites just outside the immediate downtown core.