Downtown Peoria Historic District

Last updated
Downtown Peoria Historic District
Peoria - Downtown from Caterpillar, Courthouse Square, First National Bank and Savings Tower.jpg
Downtown Peoria in 1973, with Courthouse Square in the foreground
USA Illinois location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationRoughly between N William Kumpf Blvd., Perry Ave., Fulton, Fayette & Water Sts., Peoria, Illinois
Coordinates 40°41′34″N89°35′26″W / 40.69278°N 89.59056°W / 40.69278; -89.59056 Coordinates: 40°41′34″N89°35′26″W / 40.69278°N 89.59056°W / 40.69278; -89.59056
Area77.1 acres (31.2 ha)
NRHP reference No. 100002825 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 10, 2018

The Downtown Peoria Historic District is a commercial historic district encompassing seventeen city blocks in downtown Peoria, Illinois. The district's buildings reflect Peoria's development as an industrial center and major Illinois city. While Peoria was platted in the 1820s, the oldest buildings in the district date from 1867, shortly before Peoria's economic boom of the 1870s. In the late nineteenth century, Peoria's whiskey industry was among the largest in the world, and many downtown civic improvements and public buildings were funded by whiskey profits. By the turn of the twentieth century, another economic boom brought a large retail district to downtown Peoria; many of the department stores from this period still stand in the district. An urban renewal project in the mid-twentieth century brought several Modernist skyscrapers to downtown Peoria as well, including the Caterpillar administration building, the DeKroff Metz and Company Building, and the First Federal Savings Tower. [2]

The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 2018. [1]

Related Research Articles

Peoria, Arizona City in Arizona, United States

Peoria is a city in Maricopa and Yavapai counties in the state of Arizona. Most of the city is located in Maricopa County, while a tiny portion in the north is in Yavapai County. It is a major suburb of Phoenix. According to 2019 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 175,961. Peoria is currently the sixth-largest city in Arizona for land area and the ninth-largest for population. It was named after Peoria, Illinois. The word "peoria" is a corruption of the Illini word for "prairie fire." It is the spring training home of the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners, who share the Peoria Sports Complex. In July 2008, Money magazine listed Peoria in its Top 100 Places to Live.

Riverside, Illinois Village in Illinois, United States

Riverside is a suburban village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. A significant portion of the village is in the Riverside Landscape Architecture District, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. The population of the village was 8,875 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of Chicago, located roughly 9 miles (14 km) west of downtown Chicago and 2 miles (3 km) outside city limits.

Peoria, Illinois City in Illinois, United States

Peoria is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,007. It is the principal city of the Peoria Metropolitan Area in Central Illinois, consisting of the counties of Marshall, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell, and Woodford, which had a population of 373,590 in 2011.

Clinton Downtown Historic District (Clinton, Michigan) United States historic place

The Clinton Downtown Historic District is a historic district located in the village of Clinton in Clinton Township in the northernmost portion of Lenawee County, Michigan. It consists of most of the 100 block of U.S. Route 12, known locally as West Michigan Avenue, plus Memorial Park at 200 West Michigan. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 27, 2010.

Danville, Illinois City in Illinois, United States

Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479.

YWCA Building (Peoria, Illinois) United States historic place

The YWCA Building in Peoria, Illinois was built in 1928. It was designed by Hewitt, Emerson & Gregg. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. It sits at 301 Northeast Jefferson Avenue, at the north corner with Fayette Street in downtown Peoria.

United States Post Office (Bowling Green, Ohio) United States historic place

The former Bowling Green Post Office is a historic governmental facility in downtown Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. Constructed in the early twentieth century, this post office features an unusual combination of distinctive architectural styles, and it has been named a historic site.

Decatur Downtown Historic District (Decatur, Illinois) United States historic place

The Decatur Downtown Historic District is a historic commercial district located in downtown Decatur, Illinois. The district includes 75 buildings, 61 of which are considered significant or contributing to its historic character. While downtown Decatur was platted in 1829, it did not experience significant commercial development until 1854, when two railroads built lines through the city; all but one of the district's contributing buildings were built between 1854 and 1916. The district includes many of the commercial buildings which were built in the economic boom following the railroad's construction. These buildings represent several popular commercial architectural styles of the period, including Classical Revival, Italianate, Romanesque, and Chicago School. The district also includes several sites connected to Abraham Lincoln's legal and political career.

La Harpe Historic District United States historic place

The La Harpe Historic District is a historic district located in downtown La Harpe, Illinois. The district, which is primarily commercial, includes the 100 East and 100 West blocks of Main Street and the 100 South block of Center Street. While La Harpe was settled in the 1830s, most of its development took place after railroad service came to the city in 1865. The city became a regional service center for the surrounding agricultural areas, and the commercial buildings constructed during this late 19th century economic boom form the core of the district. The buildings are primarily red brick commercial structures, some of which have decorative storefronts; the three outliers are a frame house, an Italianate commercial building, and a Mission Revival gas station from the early twentieth century. La Harpe's economy and population stabilized after 1900, and the district has remained mostly unchanged since.

Downtown East St. Louis Historic District United States historic place

The Downtown East St. Louis Historic District is a historic commercial district in downtown East St. Louis, Illinois. The district includes 35 buildings, 25 of which are contributing buildings, along Collinsville Avenue, Missouri Avenue, and St. Louis Avenue; all but one of the buildings was historically used for commercial purposes. While development in the area dates back to the late 19th century, the first of the extant buildings in the district were built around 1900 after a tornado devastated the area in 1896. By 1910, the area had become a prosperous commercial district with stores, offices, and entertainment venues; surviving buildings from this period include the Murphy Building and the Cahokia Building. Another large building boom took place in the 1920s, adding buildings such as the Spivey Building, the city's only skyscraper; the Union Trust Bank Company Building, the largest bank in the city; the Grossman Building; and the Majestic Theatre. The new buildings both coincided with a population and economic expansion in the city and allowed it to forge an architectural identity distinct from neighboring St. Louis.

Peoria Warehouse Historic District United States historic place

The Peoria Warehouse Historic District is a historic industrial district located to the southwest of downtown Peoria, Illinois. The district includes 68 buildings, 59 of which are considered contributing to its historic status; these buildings include warehouses and other industrial structures and were built from the 1880s through the 1920s. The buildings generally have utilitarian designs inspired by the Chicago school and are built with reinforced concrete frames and brick exteriors.

Princeton North Main Street Historic District United States historic place

The Princeton North Main Street Historic District is a national historic district in Princeton, Illinois. The district is centered on North Main Street and encompasses one of Princeton's two historic downtown areas, the other of which is along South Main Street. Development in the area began when Princeton's railroad station opened there in 1854, and it continued through the mid-twentieth century. As the railroad mainly brought agricultural businesses and other functional stores to the area, North Main Street gained a reputation as being less fashionable than South Main Street. The district's buildings reflect popular architectural styles of the period; Italianate and Arts and Crafts architecture is especially common, but Queen Anne, Prairie School, and Mission Revival buildings are also present.

Princeton South Main Street-Courthouse Square Historic District United States historic place

The Princeton South Main Street-Courthouse Square Historic District is a national historic district in Princeton, Illinois. Centered on South Main Street and the Bureau County Courthouse, the district is the older of the two downtown areas in Princeton, with the other being on North Main Street. Development in the area began with the settlement of Princeton in the 1830s and continued through the mid-twentieth century. The courthouse square was established when the county's first courthouse opened in 1845; the current Art Moderne courthouse was built there in 1937. South Main Street was considered the more upscale of Princeton's two downtowns, as it lacked the functional and agricultural businesses associated with the city's railroad station. The district's buildings reflect the popular architectural styles of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; Italianate and Arts and Crafts designs are especially common, though Green Revival, Queen Anne, Neoclassical, Prairie School, and Moderne buildings are also present.

Jacksonville Downtown Historic District United States historic place

The Jacksonville Downtown Historic District is a national historic district in downtown Jacksonville, Illinois. The district encompasses a commercial area surrounding Central Park, the city's public square. Development in the district began in 1825, when Jacksonville was platted and the public square was created; the first buildings on the square were built the same year. Most of the buildings in the district were built between the 1840s and 1940s, and a large number were built during a late nineteenth century building boom. Seven of the buildings were once cigar stores, a reflection of Jacksonville's large cigar making industry. The district includes examples of many of the popular architectural styles of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; Italianate and Victorian buildings are especially common.

Kankakee Downtown Historic District United States historic place

The Kankakee Downtown Historic District is a national historic district in downtown Kankakee, Illinois. The district includes 73 buildings which form the commercial and governmental center of the city, most of which are grouped along Court Street and Schuyler Avenue. While development in the district began in the 1850s, the oldest surviving building in the district is from 1864; the newest contributing buildings are from the mid-twentieth century. Kankakee's Courthouse Square and the 1908 Kankakee County Courthouse are part of the district; other government buildings in the district include Kankakee's post office, police and fire station, and armory. Most of the district's other buildings are one- to three-story brick or stone commercial buildings. Many popular architectural styles of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are represented in the district; the Italianate, Neoclassical, and Art Deco styles are among the most common.

LaSalle Downtown Commercial District United States historic place

The LaSalle Downtown Commercial District is a national historic district in downtown LaSalle, Illinois. The district encompasses 93 contributing buildings which historically formed the commercial and governmental center of LaSalle. Development in downtown LaSalle began with the completion of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1837 and the construction of railroads through the city in the 1850s; it continued through the mid-twentieth century. The district's commercial buildings represent many architectural styles, with popular styles of the late nineteenth century such as Italianate, Queen Anne, and Romanesque Revival being the most common. Significant government buildings include the LaSalle City Building and two post office buildings.

Lemont Downtown Historic District United States historic place

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.

Downtown Urbana Historic District United States historic place

The Downtown Urbana Historic District is a commercial historic district encompassing seven city blocks in downtown Urbana, Illinois. The buildings in the district reflects downtown Urbana's development as the county seat of Champaign County and a regional commercial center. While Urbana was founded in the 1830s and began its development in the ensuing decades, the oldest buildings in the district are from the 1870s. The city expanded considerably in the late nineteenth and early to mid twentieth centuries, and most of the district's buildings were constructed during this period. Local architect Joseph Royer designed many of the district's most prominent buildings, including the 1901 Romanesque Revival Champaign County Courthouse.

Champaign Downtown Commercial District United States historic place

The Champaign Downtown Commercial District is a commercial historic district encompassing 19.4 acres (7.9 ha) in downtown Champaign, Illinois. The district includes some of the oldest parts of the city's downtown, and its buildings represent the city's development in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Champaign was founded in the 1850s when the Illinois Central Railroad added a station in a rural area west of neighboring Urbana and the town formed around it; the oldest buildings in the district date from the following decade. Several buildings connected to the Illinois Central are included in the district. The opening of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1867 furthered Champaign's growth, and development in the downtown commercial district continued steadily through 1940. The district's commercial buildings exhibit a variety of building types and architectural styles, including Italianate, Art Deco, and various revival styles. Champaign's City Building and other local government buildings are also part of the district.

Downtown Rock Island Historic District United States historic place

The Downtown Rock Island Historic District is a national historic district encompassing 82.3 acres (33.3 ha) in downtown Rock Island, Illinois. The oldest buildings in the district are from the 1860s, two decades after Rock Island's founding, and buildings from then until 1969 can be found in the district, making it reflective of the city's development over time. The majority of the buildings in the district are commercial buildings, as downtown Rock Island has historically been the city's commercial center; these include several building types, mainly one-part and two-part commercial blocks, designed in a wide variety of the architectural styles popular in the late nineteenth and early to mid twentieth centuries. The district was also historically the center of Rock Island's social life, and many theaters and clubhouses for social organizations can be found in the district. Several of Rock Island's major government buildings, including the city hall and old county courthouse, are also part of the district.

References

  1. 1 2 "Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 12/10/2018 Through 12/14/2018". National Park Service . Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  2. Kalogeresis, Nicholas P. (April 22, 2018). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Downtown Peoria Historic District" (PDF). Illinois Historic Preservation Division . Retrieved September 27, 2020.