Illinois properties listed in National Register of Historic Places

 

 

            WASHINGTON, D.C. - Eight properties in Illinois were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in late May by the National Park Service, a designation that places them on the nation's most prestigious list of places with historical significance.

 

            "A National Register listing is an honor bestowed upon our most significant historic places," said Robert Coomer, director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA), which administers the National Register program in Illinois.  "These properties make us justifiably proud of our heritage in Illinois."

 

 

The Krause Music Store, with its elaborate terra cotta façade, decorative framing of the display windows and large cartouche at the top, is an excellent example of the work of the world-renown architect Louis Sullivan.  With its curvilinear plant forms and intricate details, the building reflects Sullivan's belief in organic architecture, inspired by nature.  The Krause Music Store, built in 1922, was the last building Sullivan designed.

 

 

The Downtown Hinsdale Historic District was the Village of Hinsdale's first major commercial hub.  Hinsdale's initial development was attributed to the arrival of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad, a commuter line to Chicago that was completed in 1864.  The village's commercial and governmental center developed around the railroad station and tracks.  The historic district shows the evolution of the downtown in the changes that have occurred in government, commercial businesses, and architectural trends.  The architectural styles represented in the Downtown Hinsdale Historic District include Classical Revival, Art Deco, and the International Style.

 

 

The Kewanee Public Library is significant for its role in providing library services to the citizens of Kewanee and as a good local example of Classical Revival architecture. The library was designed by the architectural firm of Patton and Miller of Chicago.  It was constructed in 1906-1908 with the masonry work performed by Nels Granquist and the carpentry work by Peter Swanson.  Construction was made possible through a generous donation of $25,000 from Andrew Carnegie.

 

 

               The Downtown Momence Historic District shows the evolution of the downtown in the changes that have occurred in commercial businesses and architectural trends during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.  The buildings represent a wide range of commercial activities indicative of a thriving small riverside community.  Several architectural styles are represented in this district, including Italianate, Queen Anne, Richardsonian Romanesque, and Classical Revival.

 

 

The Durham-Perry Farmstead represents the changing agricultural practices and emphases in Kankakee County and Illinois through time, from the earliest years of settlement into the mid twentieth century.  Historic buildings on the property include a mid-century frame house, two barns, a garage, and a well house.  The house and barns were built using traditional timber-frame construction, a building method that played a significant role in the early settlement history of northeastern Illinois as well as the remainder of the state.  Many examples of this type of construction did not survive the great rebuilding that occurred on American farmsteads during the World War I era, or subsequent modernization efforts or urban expansion that have occurred since the middle of the twentieth century.  More often than not, where timber-frame buildings have survived, they do so in isolation.  The fact that the Durham-Perry Farmstead has three such structures adds to the significance of the property. 

 

 

             The Jennings Ford Automobile Dealership building was designed by leading Springfield architect Harry Reiger and built for prominent Ford dealer Frank Jennings in 1919.  The dealership relates to the early history of the automobile in the city.  At the time Jennings built his dealership on Fourth Street, its location was one of the most desirable commercial areas of the city, adjacent to what was once Springfield's most fashionable neighborhood, Aristocracy Hill, centered around the Illinois Executive Mansion.  Few remaining structures built specifically as automobile dealerships on Springfield's original "automobile row" remain today. 

 

 

            The McGovney-Yunker Farmstead reflects the nineteenth and twentieth century agricultural development of rural Will County, Illinois.  Farming was the livelihood of Mokena and contributed to the success of the community.  Almost all of the buildings on the McGovney-Yunker Farmstead that date from the mid-to-late nineteenth century are still intact; these consist of the farmhouse, barn, wooden shed, chicken coop, brooder house, well house, and smokehouse/woodshed.  Later contributing additions to the farmstead include a cattle shed, hog house, corn bins, and a corn crib. 

 

 

The Union Park Congregational Church and Carpenter Chapel, presently known as the First Baptist Congregational Church, is nationally significant as an early surviving example of the auditorium or amphitheater sanctuary plan.  At the time of its construction in 1869- 1871, Union Park Congregational Church's amphitheater plan was an entirely new concept, emphasizing preaching and musical performances by choirs and musicians.  The plan was widely adopted by several Protestant churches during the 1870s and 1880s and remained popular well into the early 1900s.  The Union Park Congregational Church and Chapel is also important for its Gothic Revival architecture.  The church was designated a Chicago Landmark on January 21, 1982.