[February 20, 2014]SPRINGFIELD — Efforts to
identify and honor the state's most historic places paid off in 2013
with 23 Illinois buildings and 11 historic districts being added to
the National Register of Historic Places.
The buildings and neighborhoods are scattered from Chicago to Macomb
to Alton. They include luxury apartment buildings, courthouse
squares, factories and private homes.
Sites are added to the
National Register by the National Park Service, based on
recommendations from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
"Reading the list of sites added to the National Register last
year really drives home what a wonderful legacy we enjoy in
Illinois," said Amy Martin, director of the Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency. "Preserving historic buildings and districts
helps communities stay vibrant. The people and groups who identify
sites for the National Register deserve our deep thanks."
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of
the nation's historic places worthy of preservation. Thousands of
Illinois historic and prehistoric places have been designated, and
more places are added each year by applicants who want the prestige,
financial benefits and protections that National Register
designation provides.
Every one of the 102 Illinois counties has at least one property
or historic district listed in the National Register. Together, they
represent a cross-section of the Prairie State's history from its
early settlement to the mid-20th century. In general, properties
have to be more than 50 years old to be eligible. Listing on the
National Register makes no obligations for private property owners
but does make properties eligible for some financial incentives.
The 2013 additions to the National Register from Illinois
include:
COLLAR COUNTIES
Beecher Mausoleum, vicinity of Beecher
The Beecher Mausoleum, built in 1914, is significant as a
representation of a shift in the country's burial methods. In
mausoleums, the remains of people are placed in crypts, not graves.
The Beecher Mausoleum is also a good local example of the Classical
Revival style.
Downtown Plainfield Historic District, Plainfield
The Downtown Plainfield Historic District is locally significant
as the historic commercial and civic center of Plainfield and for
the variety of architectural styles found there. Lockport Street was
also part of the Lincoln Highway route established in 1913.
Glen Ellyn Downtown North Historic District and Glen Ellyn
Downtown South Historic District, Glen Ellyn
The two downtown historic districts are significant as physical
representations of the commercial history of Glen Ellyn, which
evolved from a small cluster of blacksmith shops, harness-makers and
groceries along a railroad in the 1850s into a compact and lively
central business district serving a booming suburban population 100
years later. The earliest buildings in the district date from the
1890s, with most from the prosperous decades of the early 20th
century.
Pure Oil Station, 502 W. State St., Geneva
The Pure Oil Station in Geneva is an excellent example of the
Tudor Revival style, especially as it was applied to commercial
architecture in the early half of the 20th century. The station also
illustrates the use of architecture as a commercial marketing
technique.
Waukegan Carnegie Library, Waukegan
The Waukegan Carnegie Library, built in 1911, provided free
public library service for the Waukegan community for over half a
century. Designed by the architectural firm of Patton & Miller, the
library is a good representative of the Classical Revival style.
COOK COUNTY
320 W. Oakdale Ave., Chicago
This building is a good local example of mid-20th-century Modern
architecture in a Chicago residential high-rise building. The
21-story, lakefront luxury apartment building was part of the tall
apartment building boom that occurred in Chicago during the 1950s
and 1960s. The building was completed in 1954.
42nd Precinct Police Station, 3600 N. Halsted St., Chicago
The 42nd Precinct Police Station in Chicago's Lakeview community
is a distinctive example of a government building in the Classical
Revival style. Distinguished by its symmetrical facade arrangement,
classically inspired ornament, distinctive copper cornice and grand
scale, the station shows the influence of classicism on architecture
after the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
Bush Temple of Music, Chicago
The Bush Temple of Music is a significant example of a commercial
building in the French Renaissance Revival "Chateau-esque" style and
is an extremely rare and large-scale example of the style in
Chicago. Completed in early 1902, the building was constructed in a
style typically reserved for mansions of the wealthy elite.
Curtiss-Wright Aeronautical University Building, 1338-1342 S.
Michigan Ave., Chicago
This building is locally significant as the home of the Curtiss-Wright
Aeronautical University, the Midwest's first accredited flight
school to admit black students and to hire black instructors. During
the early 1900s, Chicago emerged as a center for black aviation,
rivaled only by Los Angeles. The building is one of the last
remaining structures associated with the rise of Chicago's black
aviation community.
Drucker House, Wilmette
The Suzanne and Robert Drucker House is an excellent example of a
Mid-Century Modern house. It is simple, functional and carefully
detailed, with a design based on geometric relationships instead of
historical precedent.
Kosciuszko Park Field House, 2732 N. Avers Ave., Chicago
After 100 years, Kosciuszko Park Field House remains a
significant building in the Logan Square community. The 1914 field
house is significant for its Tudor Revival architecture and the
important social and cultural events it hosted over the decades.
The Neuville, 232 E. Walton Place, Chicago
The Neuville is a locally significant example of a luxury
high-rise apartment building, a type that developed in Chicago and
New York in the first quarter of the 20th century. The Neuville was
one of the earlier buildings of this type constructed in the near
north area of Chicago, where large single-family homes gave way to
apartment buildings that offered the amenities of private mansions.
Passionist Fathers Monastery, 5700 N. Harlem Drive, Chicago
The Passionist Fathers Monastery, completed in 1910, is a fine
example of an early 20th-century monastery with Classical, Baroque
and Romanesque detailing. It is one of the largest and most
prominent religious structures in the Chicago community of Norwood
Park.
Polish Roman Catholic Union of America Building, 984 N. Milwaukee
Ave., Chicago
The Polish Roman Catholic Union of America Building is
significant for its association with Chicago's immigration
settlements. The building continues to house the organization and
the Polish Museum and Archives. It is affiliated with the
cultivation of Polish identity in Chicago — the largest Polish
community in the United States.
Stony Island Trust & Savings Bank Building, Chicago
Completed in 1923, the Stony Island Trust & Savings Bank Building
was among dozens of small Chicago neighborhood banks constructed in
the late 1910s and 1920s. Owned by and catering to members of the
local community, the bank became a center of Chicago South Shore
economic life and a symbol of growing neighborhood prosperity.
Storkline Furniture Corp. Factory, 4400-4418 W. 26th St., Chicago
Constructed in 1925 with additions through the mid- to late
1930s, the building is significant for its association with the
Storkline Furniture Corp., one of the largest manufacturers of
infant and juvenile furniture in the country from the 1920s through
the mid-1960s. Storkline's baby carriages, cribs and school
furniture were produced exclusively in this plant for more than 30
years and were distributed to 6,000 retail concerns across the
country.
Strand Hotel, 6315-6323 S. Cottage Grove Ave., Chicago
The Strand Hotel is the only remaining example of a residential
hotel in the Woodlawn neighborhood. Completed in 1915, the Strand
Hotel was at the center of one of the city's largest commercial
districts and helps illustrate its history.
Vesta Accumulator Co. Building, 2100 S. Indiana Ave., Chicago
This building was the first purpose-built factory constructed for
the Vesta Accumulator Co., a nationally known maker of batteries,
head lamps and other automobile-related electrical parts. Vesta was
an important player in the development of the automobile industry
along Chicago's historic Motor Row, first establishing a presence on
Michigan Avenue in 1905 alongside the city's earliest automobile
dealerships.
Walser House, Chicago
The Joseph J. Walser House was designed in 1903 by renowned
architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959). The house is a fine local
example of an early Prairie School work in the Austin neighborhood
and displays architectural qualities that have come to be synonymous
with Wright's work and that of his fellow Prairie School architects.
West Argyle Street Historic District (boundary increase), Chicago
The West Argyle Historic District boundary was increased to
include more of the properties associated with district's
development following the establishment of the Argyle "L" stop. The
buildings are architecturally consistent with and enhance the
architectural catalog of the district.
West Loop-LaSalle Street Historic District, Chicago
The West Loop-LaSalle Street District is composed of the only
remaining, cohesive collection of resources that represent and
illustrate the development of Chicago's downtown commercial, office
and governmental core, anchored by LaSalle Street, which served as
the financial center of the Midwest. This district uniquely
illustrates the rich architectural heritage of Chicago, representing
a full range of architectural styles and demonstrating the changing
technologies that allowed for taller and taller buildings.
DOWNSTATE
Broadview Hotel, East St. Louis
The Broadview Hotel, completed in 1927, was built when East St.
Louis was making over the city's architecture and political culture
following a devastating 1917 race riot. This seven-story, Classical
Revival, fireproof building was the city's largest and finest hotel.
It fulfilled the developers' vision of a hotel that would be a
regional and statewide venue for conventions and meetings.
Galena Historic District (boundary change), Galena
The Galena Historic District, which was listed in the National
Register in 1969, represents the American experience between the
years 1820 and 1930. That period in Galena history includes the
first major mineral rush in U. S. history, the growth of the largest
steamboat hub north of St. Louis, the development of a huge
commercial center, the appearance of Ulysses S. Grant and the Civil
War, and the subsequent decline of Galena into a local trade center.
The district's boundary was adjusted to better match Galena's story
with available resources.
Kickapoo Building, Peoria
The Kickapoo Building in Peoria, built in 1911, is an excellent
example of a flatiron building. Flatiron buildings are designed to
occupy all available land space created by angled street junctures,
giving them a distinctive triangular shape that resembles an
old-fashioned clothes iron.
The square is a rare example of the Harrisonburg Square, a type
of courthouse square design with six access roads – four at the
square's corners and two in the middle. The buildings represent
architectural styles from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. The
district represents Macomb's evolution as the governmental and
commercial center of McDonough County.
Marshall Business Historic District, Marshall
The district is locally significant due to the development of
Marshall in conjunction with the westward expansion of the United
States through transportation. Marshall's location along the
National Road spurred development of the community, beginning in the
1820s. The commercial district is also significant for its
architecture, a mix of Italianate, Romanesque, Commercial and
Moderne.
Ottawa East Side Historic District, Ottawa
The district has one of Ottawa's most diverse collections of
high-style architecture, with a number of significant Greek Revival,
Italianate and Queen Anne residences from the 19th century, and
Prairie, Craftsman and Revival style houses from the early 20th
century. Located on a peninsula created by the Illinois and Fox
rivers, the district developed as an exclusively residential area
and a prime location for the city's early professional class.
Salem Baptist Church, Alton
Alton's Salem Baptist Church was constructed in 1912 for an
African-American congregation organized in 1819. Throughout the
early to mid-20th century, Salem Baptist Church served as the local
African-American community's center of social activities. The
building supported community events, clubs, meetings and civil
rights activities.
Sheffield Village Hall, Sheffield
The Village Hall in Sheffield is significant as an excellent
example of a building constructed in the Classical Revival style
with Romanesque Revival influences. Characteristics of the Classical
Revival style exhibited by the Village Hall include symmetrical
facade arrangement, columns in antis, entablatures, cornices and
Roman grilles.
Zoe Theater, Pittsfield
Zoe Theatre is an excellent example of a building constructed in
the Art Moderne style with Modernist influences. The principal
characteristic of the Art Moderne style exhibited by the Zoe Theatre
is the exterior facade of pigmented structural glass. The building's
Modernist features include the visual front entrance underneath the
canopy, and the interior finishes. The Zoe Theatre is the only
architectural example of this kind in Pittsfield.
