Morris Downtown Commercial Historic District

Last updated

Morris Downtown Commercial Historic District
Morris Downtown Commercial Historic District.jpg
USA Illinois location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationLiberty St., roughly bounded by the RR, Illinois St., Fulton and Wauponsee Sts and Franklin, Morris, Illinois
Coordinates 41°21′33″N88°25′26″W / 41.35919°N 88.42381°W / 41.35919; -88.42381
Area24 acres (9.7 ha)
Built1911 (1911)
NRHP reference No. 05001603 [1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 31, 2006

The Morris Downtown Commercial Historic District is a historic district in downtown Morris. The district includes 116 buildings and a monument; 105 of these are commercial buildings, and 87 are contributing properties to the district.

Contents

History

The historic district reflects the history of Morris, Illinois as a canal town on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Named after canal commissioner Isaac N. Morris, the town became the Grundy County seat in 1841 and was originally platted a year later. The earliest of the buildings were built in the 1850s, shortly after the canal's construction. Then, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad were completed in 1848 and 1853, respectively. Morris became an important transportation hub. Commercial development began north of the canal along Illinois (originally Canal) and Washington Streets which was home to livery, blacksmith, and harness businesses. Lyman Ray, future Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, opened the town's first dry goods store. [2]

The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 31, 2006. [1]

Architecture

The district mainly consists of brick or sandstone commercial buildings of uniform size, and its character is considered typical of a small town business district. The buildings in the district were designed in a wide variety of architectural styles, including Commercial, Italianate, Queen Anne, Classical Revival, Renaissance Revival, and Tudor Revival. The district also contains two prominent government buildings, the Grundy County Courthouse and the Morris Post Office. There is also an interurban railway station. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Duluth</span> United States historic place

The downtown of Duluth, Minnesota, United States, is situated between Mesaba Avenue and 4th Avenue East; and located on Michigan, Superior, First, Second, and Third streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sycamore Historic District</span> Historic district in Sycamore, Illinois, USA

The Sycamore Historic District is a meandering area encompassing 99 acres (400,000 m2) of the land in and around the downtown of the DeKalb County, Illinois county seat, Sycamore. The area includes historic buildings and a number of historical and Victorian homes. Some significant structures are among those located within the Historic District including the DeKalb County Courthouse and the Sycamore Public Library. The district has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since May 2, 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Historic District (San Jose, California)</span> Historic district in California, United States

The Downtown Historic District of San Jose, California is a designated U.S. Historic District area of the city roughly the size of one square block. It is bounded by S. First Street to the west, E. San Fernando Street to the south, S. Third Street to the east, and E. Santa Clara Street to the north, but also includes the south side of E. Santa Clara Street between Third and Fourth Streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's State Bank (Orangeville, Illinois)</span> United States historic place

The People's State Bank building is located in the Stephenson County village of Orangeville, Illinois, United States. The structure was erected in 1926 when two Orangeville banks merged to form the People's State Bank. It operated until 1932 when it became overwhelmed by an economic disaster caused by the Great Depression and the bypassing of downtown Orangeville by an important route. The building is cast in the Commercial style and features Classical Revival detailing, common for banks of the time period. The building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galena Historic District</span> Historic district in Illinois, United States

The Galena Historic District is a historic district located in the city of Galena, Illinois, United States. The historic district encompasses 85 percent of the city of Galena and includes more than 800 properties. The downtown area consists of three successive tiers made up of Main, Bench and Prospect Streets. Within the boundaries of the district are such notable homes as the Ulysses S. Grant Home and the Elihu B. Washburne House. The Galena Historic District was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westerly Downtown Historic District</span> Historic district in Rhode Island, United States

The Westerly Downtown Historic District is a historic district encompassing most of the commercial and civic district of Westerly, Rhode Island, United States. It extends from Broad and Union Streets eastward along High Street, and north along Canal Street to Railroad Avenue, where it extends to include the historic railroad station. The district contains a compact and cohesive collection of commercial and civic buildings built primarily during the last three decades of the 19th century and the first three decades of the 20th century, including the Old Town Hall (1872–74), the current Town Hall (1912), the Spanish Colonial railroad station (1912), and the Classical Revival post office (1914).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Troy Historic District</span> Historic district in New York, United States

The Central Troy Historic District is an irregularly shaped, 96-acre (39 ha) area of downtown Troy, New York, United States. It has been described as "one of the most perfectly preserved 19th-century downtowns in the [country]" with nearly 700 properties in a variety of architectural styles from the early 19th to mid-20th centuries. These include most of Russell Sage College, one of two privately owned urban parks in New York, and two National Historic Landmarks. Visitors ranging from the Duke de la Rochefoucauld to Philip Johnson have praised aspects of it. Martin Scorsese used parts of downtown Troy as a stand-in for 19th-century Manhattan in The Age of Innocence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic districts in Meridian, Mississippi</span> Nine historic districts in Meridian, Mississippi, United States

There are nine historic districts in Meridian, Mississippi. Each of these districts is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One district, Meridian Downtown Historic District, is a combination of two older districts, Meridian Urban Center Historic District and Union Station Historic District. Many architectural styles are present in the districts, most from the late 19th century and early 20th century, including Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Italianate, Art Deco, Late Victorian, and Bungalow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenwich Avenue Historic District</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The Greenwich Avenue Historic District is a historic district representing the commercial and civic historical development of the downtown area of the town of Greenwich, Connecticut. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 31, 1989. Included in the district is the Greenwich Municipal Center Historic District, which was listed on the National Register the year before for the classical revival style municipal buildings in the core of Downtown. Most of the commercial buildings in the district fall into three broad styles, reflecting the period in which they were built: Italianate, Georgian Revival, and Commercial style. The district is linear and runs north–south along the entire length of Greenwich Avenue, the main thoroughfare of Downtown Greenwich, between U.S. Route 1 and the New Haven Line railroad tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moline Downtown Commercial Historic District</span> Historic district in Illinois, United States

The Moline Downtown Commercial Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Moline, Illinois, United States. Centered on 5th Avenue, it is roughly bounded by 12th Street to 18th Street, 4th Avenue to 7th Avenue. The distinct covers 33-acre (0.13 km2) and includes 114 buildings. One hundred of the buildings contribute to the significance of the district because they retain their historic and architectural integrity and reflect the character of the historic downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Royer (architect)</span> American architect (1873–1954)

Joseph William Royer (1873–1954) was a prolific architect from Urbana, Illinois who designed many prominent buildings in Urbana, Champaign, and beyond. His work included civic, educational, commercial, and residential buildings, many of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and feature a wide variety of architectural styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Sterling Commercial Historic District</span> Historic district in Illinois, United States

The Mount Sterling Commercial Historic District is a historic business district located in downtown Mount Sterling, Illinois. The district, located immediately south of the Brown County Courthouse, includes four entire city blocks and parts of four others; 38 buildings, of which 35 are contributing buildings, are in the district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centralia Commercial Historic District</span> Historic district in Illinois, United States

The Centralia Commercial Historic District is a historic commercial district comprising several blocks of Broadway in downtown Centralia, Illinois. The district includes 57 contributing buildings as well as a historic water tower and sign. Centralia's business district developed around the Illinois Central Railroad tracks, as the town was established by and named for the railroad. The earliest buildings in the district date from the 1850s, as the city was platted in 1853. Centralia's first commercial buildings were mainly designed in the Italianate style, which was predominant until the end of the 19th century; the Romanesque Revival style also gained popularity in the 1880s. Around the turn of the century, the Commercial style became the most popular style in the district. The Renaissance Revival and Classical Revival styles can also be seen in buildings from this era, and by the 1930s Art Deco and Modernist architecture became popular.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall Business Historic District</span> Historic district in Illinois, United States

The Marshall Business Historic District is a historic district located in downtown Marshall, Illinois. The district encompasses the city's historic commercial center and includes 56 buildings and structures, 46 of which are contributing buildings. Marshall's courthouse square is a central feature of the district; the square includes the Italian Renaissance Revival Clark County Courthouse, which was built in 1903. The other buildings in the district, mainly commercial and government buildings, were built from the 1830s to the 1960s; however, most of the buildings were built between 1870 and 1910, Marshall's largest growth period. The buildings from this era are mostly designed in the Italianate, Romanesque, and Italian Renaissance Revival styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Commercial Historic District (Burlington, Iowa)</span> Historic district in Iowa, United States

The Downtown Commercial Historic District encompasses most of the central business district of Burlington, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. The historic district includes 65 properties that were part of a 2012 to 2013 survey of the area. It also includes as contributing properties the buildings in the West Jefferson Street Historic District and three buildings in the Manufacturing and Wholesale Historic District that were previously listed on the National Register. All total there are 122 resources within the district, which includes 108 contributing and 14 non-contributing properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Hall Park Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The City Hall Park Historic District encompasses one of the central economic, civic, and public spaces of the city of Burlington, Vermont. Centered on City Hall Park, the area's architecture encapsulates the city's development from a frontier town to an urban commercial center. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Hardwick Village Historic District</span> Historic district in Vermont, United States

The Downtown Hardwick Village Historic District encompasses a significant portion of the downtown area of Hardwick, Vermont. The town developed in the 19th century first as a small industrial center, and later became one of the world's leading processors of granite. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middlesboro Downtown Commercial District</span> Historic district in Kentucky, United States

The Middlesboro Downtown Commercial District in Middlesboro, Kentucky is a 37 acres (15 ha) historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District</span> Historic district in Iowa, United States

The Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in the central business district of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 43 resources, which included 33 contributing buildings, one contributing structure, and nine non-contributing buildings. In addition, the district also contains 33 buildings that are individually listed on the National Register. This historic district is bordered by four other districts: the Crescent Warehouse Historic District and the Davenport Motor Row and Industrial Historic District on the east, the Hamburg Historic District to the northwest, and the West Third Street Historic District on the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lemont Downtown Historic District</span> Historic district in Illinois, United States

The Lemont Downtown Historic District is a commercial historic district encompassing 14 city blocks in downtown Lemont, Illinois. The district has served as the village's downtown since the 1850s, when the newly opened Illinois & Michigan Canal and subsequent limestone quarrying in the area sparked a local economic boom. It expanded through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as new railroads and the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal brought residents and business opportunities to the village. The commercial buildings in the district exhibit a variety of common building types seen between 1850 and 1950; one-part, two-part, gable-front, and false-front buildings are all present, and their designs feature Italianate, Commercial, and revival style architecture. The district also includes several of Lemont's government buildings, including its village hall and post office.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Wilson, Pam (December 15, 2004). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Morris Downtown Commercial Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 8, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2013.