Joliet East Side Historic District

Last updated

Joliet East Side Historic District
Joliet East Side Historic District 2012-09-29 11-58-45.jpg
USA Illinois location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationRoughly bounded by Washington and Union Streets, 4th and Eastern Avenues
Joliet, Will County, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates 41°31′8″N88°4′28″W / 41.51889°N 88.07444°W / 41.51889; -88.07444
Architectural style Late Victorian, Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals
NRHP reference No. 80001418
Added to NRHPAugust 15, 1980

The Joliet East Side Historic District is a set of 290 buildings in Joliet, Illinois. Of these 290 buildings, 281 contribute to the historical integrity of the area. Joliet was founded in 1831, deemed an ideal place for a settlement to reap the local natural resources. Most importantly, large beds of limestone provided a strong economic incentive to develop the area. Several important structures were constructed with Joliet limestone, including the Old State Capitol and Chicago Water Tower. Joliet incorporated in 1852 and prospered due to its location on the Illinois and Michigan Canal.

James B. Campbell platted the first East Side property in 1834 and named it Juliet. Two years later, Will County was formed and Juliet was chosen as the county seat. Citizens on the land renamed the area Joliet in 1845 after French explorer Louis Jolliet. Thirty-two houses were constructed on the East Side between 1852 and 1873. The area was sought after because of its proximity to the railway station. The first mayor of Joliet, Cornelius Van Horn, built his residence here in 1852. Van Horn's son William became a magnate in the Canadian railroad industry.

By 1873, the East Side had a reputation as the most prestigious in the city. The region was anchored by the Jacob A. Henry Mansion; Henry was a wealthy railroad tycoon. The first churches in the area, the Central Presbyterian Church and the Richards Street Methodist Church, were built soon afterward. Commerce flourished on Washington street after a row of commercial structures were constructed. However, the area was hit particularly hard by the Great Depression. Many mansions, including the Jacob A. Henry Mansion, were converted into boarding houses or funeral parlors. The east side failed to recover from the depression; remaining houses were converted into multiple-family homes or abandoned. The construction of Interstate 80 in the 1960s revitalized Washington Street, but did little for the residential areas. In 1975, Joliet financed a program to assist East Side home owners to rehabilitate their homes. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Selected structures of significance

Joliet selected fifty-one sites and structures of particular value to exemplify the historical merit of the district. Most of the records concerning the dates of the contributing buildings were lost in a fire in 1912.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian architecture</span> Series of architectural revival styles

Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. Victorian refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian were used in construction. However, many elements of what is typically termed "Victorian" architecture did not become popular until later in Victoria's reign, roughly from 1850 and later. The styles often included interpretations and eclectic revivals of historic styles (see Historicism). The name represents the British and French custom of naming architectural styles for a reigning monarch. Within this naming and classification scheme, it followed Georgian architecture and later Regency architecture, and was succeeded by Edwardian architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian house</span> Houses built during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901)

In Great Britain and former British colonies, a Victorian house generally means any house built during the reign of Queen Victoria. During the Industrial Revolution, successive housing booms resulted in the building of many millions of Victorian houses which are now a defining feature of most British towns and cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I-house</span> Vernacular architectural style

The I-house is a vernacular house type, popular in the United States from the colonial period onward. The I-house was so named in the 1930s by Fred Kniffen, a cultural geographer at Louisiana State University who was a specialist in folk architecture. He identified and analyzed the type in his 1936 study of Louisiana house types.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broad Street Historic District (Middletown, Connecticut)</span> Historic district in Connecticut, United States

The Broad Street Historic District encompasses a well-preserved 19th-century residential area in Middletown, Connecticut, USA. Centered on Broad and Pearl Streets west of Main Street, the area was developed residential in response to local economic development intended to revitalize the city, whose port was in decline. The district includes the city's largest concentration of Greek Revival houses, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Houses in Sycamore Historic District</span>

The houses in the Sycamore Historic District, in Sycamore, Illinois, United States, cross a variety of architectural styles and span from the 1830s to the early 20th century. There are 187 contributing properties within the historic district, 75% of the districts buildings. Many of the homes are associated with early Sycamore residents, usually prominent business leaders or politicians. Houses within the district are known by, either their street address or by a name associated with a prominent owner or builder. For most of the houses, the latter is true.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Snapp</span> American politician

Henry Snapp was a U.S. Representative from Illinois. He was the father of Howard Malcolm Snapp, also a U.S. Representative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William H. Roberts House</span> Historic house in Illinois, United States

The William H. Roberts House is a late 19th-century house located in Pecatonica, Illinois, United States. The house was built in 1883 for Dr. William H. Roberts, who died three years later at the age of 33. The building features a combination of elements from three distinct architectural styles, Italianate, Queen Anne and Gothic revival. The building functioned as both Roberts's house and office. The house is the only building in Pecatonica listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, a status it attained in 1979.

The historic village of Aurora, Cayuga County, New York, rises on a hill above the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake. The village was named by Captain Benjamin Ledyard, who settled there in 1793, in the post-Revolutionary development of the Finger Lakes region. Up until the mid-nineteenth century, Aurora played an important part in the history of Central New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington Avenue Historic District (Cedarburg, Wisconsin)</span> Historic district in Wisconsin, United States

Washington Avenue Historic District is the historic center of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, the location of the early industry and commerce that was key to the community's development. The historic district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1986.

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

The Barrington Historic District is a 92-acre (37 ha) historic district in Barrington, Illinois. The district encompasses a residential area in southwest Barrington and is roughly bounded by the Chicago and Northwestern Railway tracks to the north, Dundee Avenue to the west, E. Hillside and W. Coolidge Streets to the south, and S. Spring and S. Grove Streets to the east. The large majority of the district is in Cook County, but about one square block is in Lake County, Illinois.

Center Street Historic District is a historic district in Ashland, Ohio, United States. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 with a boundary increase that took place in 1992, Center Street features Victorian homes built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The district is established between Town Creek and Vernon Avenue on the east side of Center Street and between the theater and Morgan Avenue on the west side. Once known as Huron Road, Center Street runs current with Ohio State Route 511 and Ohio State Route 60, which travels the entire length of Ohio. The Center Street Historic District Association is the homeowners' association for the district.

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

The Glen Ellyn Main Street Historic District is a set of eleven buildings in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The houses were built between 1874 and 1890 when the village was known as Prospect Park. The swampy setting of the village began to gain a reputation as a retreat away from the city, and by 1882 the village was large enough for incorporation. Wealthy businessmen built homes along the main stretch of the village in what would become the historical district. In the mid-1880s, a river was dammed, creating Lake Glen Ellyn, spurring the new name for the village.

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

The Dundee Township Historic District is a set of sixty-five buildings in Dundee Township, Kane County Illinois. Buildings in the district are found in East Dundee, West Dundee, and Carpentersville. The district represents the development of the upper Fox River Valley from 1870 to the 1920s. Dundee Township became an important industrial area, especially following the construction of the Dundee Brick Company in West Dundee and the Illinois Iron and Bolt Company in Carpentersville. Also included in the district are a variety of Queen Anne, Italianate, and Greek Revival style houses and Gothic Revival churches. The majority of the historic district lies within the boundaries of West Dundee. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Whitaker House (Davenport, Iowa)</span> Historic house in Iowa, United States

The Charles Whitaker House is a historic building located on the east side of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church Hill Historic District (Portage, Wisconsin)</span> Historic district in Wisconsin, United States

The Church Hill Historic District is a mid-to-upper-class residential area north of Portage's downtown. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 for its significance in architecture and social history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary Historic District (Lafayette, Indiana)</span> Historic district in Indiana, United States

St. Mary Historic District is a national historic district located at Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana. In 1864, St. Mary's Catholic Church relocated from its original site at Fifth and Brown Streets to Columbia Street. With the move, many of the congregation also moved to this area. The Church became both a religious and social center for the neighborhood. Many of the homes date from the 1860s and 1870s and include fine examples of the Italianate, Greek Revival and Queen Anne styles as well as vernacular house types. Most of the people who built in this area were Lafayette businessmen. At 1202 Columbia Street James Ball, a local wholesale grocer left his name stamped into the front steps. Across the street is the James H. Ward House, who along with his brother, William, owned a local carpet and wallpaper business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottawa East Side Historic District</span> United States historic place

The Ottawa East Side Historic District is a residential historic district in eastern Ottawa, Illinois. The district is located on a peninsula formed by the confluence of the Fox River and Illinois River and is only connected to the rest of Ottawa by a single bridge. The area's relative isolation caused the city's businesses and industries to avoid building there, and as a result the district became almost entirely residential. Construction in the East Side began in 1848, when developer Henry Green built his home there, and continued rapidly through the 19th century; after a brief slowdown at the turn of the century, development continued in the 1910s and 1920s before stopping almost entirely during the Great Depression. The neighborhood was one of the most desirable in the city, and Ottawa's upper class built many large homes there; however, it also includes several smaller middle-class houses. The Greek Revival, Italianate, and Queen Anne styles are all well-represented in the district's larger and more formal homes, while many vernacular styles can be seen in the smaller homes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center Avenue Neighborhood Residential District</span> United States historic place

The Center Avenue Neighborhood Residential District is a residential historic district located in Bay City, Michigan, running primarily along Center, Fifth, and Sixth Avenues between Monroe and Green Avenues, with additional portions of the district along Fourth between Madison and Johnson, down to Tenth Avenue between Madison and Lincoln, along Green to Ridge, and around Carroll Park. The original section, along Center and portions of Fifth and Sixth, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. A boundary increase including the other sections of the neighborhood was listed in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oliver Street Historic District</span> United States historic place

The Oliver Street Historic District is a primarily residential historic district, located along Oliver Street between Third and Oak Street, as well as some adjacent sections of Williams and Goodhue Streets, in Owosso, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The West Side Historic Residential District is a residential historic district roughly bounded by Mason, Madison, Harrison and Lyon Streets in Saginaw, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

References